Greetings from dreary, windy, cloudy Oklahoma City...am home for the Thanksgiving feast tomorrow...
Mizzou basketball 84, Maryland 70. So we went 1-1 in Kansas City, just like we wanted. We got badly outrebounded (42-30), we shot horribly from the 3-point line (3-for-18), our best guard had a stomach bug, and our best forward was in extreme foul trouble the entire second half...and we won pretty easily. That's what happens when a) you make all 16 of your FTs in the second half, and b) your (assists+steals)/turnovers ratio is 28/10 while your opponent's is 16/23. And c) Leo Lyons has a career game. And d) your opponents isn't very good. Nice win over a nice name though.
Here are the links, starting with the official box score and game recap. Missouri leans on Lyons, beats Maryland (Trib), Lyons Leads MU to Victory (Missourian), Mizzou beats Maryland (KC Star), Lyons Lifts Mizzou Past Maryland (Post-Dispatch).
Very cool: Chase Daniel is one of three finalists for the Davey O'Brien Award, along with Dennis Dixon and Tim "The Media Has Decided I Will Win Every QB Award And The Heisman This Year Because I'm Also My Team's Short-Yardage Back and Have Twenty 1-Yard TDs" Tebow. The good news is, fan voting counts for part of the tally, and you can vote here. The USA Today mentions it in a nice Chase piece, and while you're voting, follow Tigerboard's lead and make sure to tell your friends to Chase the Heisman too. Oh yeah, and wear black on Saturday.
Here's today's "too short to be a great QB!" story. Also, Bryan Burwell's latest column.
Aqib Talib is as excited as you are about Saturday's game. Meanwhile, playing an undefeated KU team is exactly what Gary Pinkel expected.
Dave Matter went to KU Media Day and lived to tell the tale. Apparently MU's much more comfortable and open with the media...we've got this game in the bag!!! Uh huh. Oh, and there's a power poll in that post as well.
I can't imagine working in Kansas City this week. Oh, and the Quantrill "Scoreboard" shirts made the Missourian. Now THAT's funny.
One drawback to success: your coach starts getting rumored for other jobs. I'll just say this: I'll be SHOCKED if either Pinkel or Mangino is on a different sideline next season.
Haven't done some recruiting links in a while, so here you go: two ATM commits are looking at Mizzou: Rivals 100 ATH Derrick Hall (who we've mentioned before) and Norman (OK) ATH K.J. Williams (who we haven't). Inside Mizzou also has the latest on Will Compton, while PowerMizzou catches up with Mizzou commits Aldon Smith and Robert Steeples. Oh, and Cahokia tight end London Davis has decommitted from Mizzou and committed to Illinois. You know what? If a high school tight end decides that playing for Mizzou isn't in his best interests, I'm not really sure I want the kid, you know? Granted, we were apparently talking about moving him to D-line, but...good luck to him.