Mizzou Basketball 94, N.C. A&T 66. Recap and box score. Mizzou's D clamped down in the second half--holding A&T to 32.0% FG shooting after 46.9% in the first half--and Mizzou's bigs all had nice games (as Norm predicted they would!). Mizzou got a combined 50 points on 17-of-29 shooting from Demarre Carroll, Leo Lyons, and Marshall Brown. And Nick Berardini made another damn 3-pointer. At what point do we start throwing him in for a couple possessions a game during non-blowouts? He makes everything! And yes, I'm half-joking. The Missourian, KC Star, and Post-Dispatch have more.
And reiterating what I said last night, a boring game was made exciting by one guy: Norm Stewart. He was a force of nature last night. Even the KOMU Morning Sports guy just mentioned it.
The kids are starting to make their decisions in football recruiting. Texas DB Kenji Jackson is deciding today, Texas LB sleeper Will Ebner switched from Houston to Mizzou (we call any 2-star player a sleeper, get it?), and Texas DB Ugo Okpara decided he'd rather play CB at BC than safety at Mizzou. I find that a little odd because Pinkel's always said you get to choose your position, but I guess they told him they saw him playing best at safety or something...whatever. That one kind of hurts--I really like his film--but I guess DB is one area this class has already covered, what with commits from Kip Edwards, Robert Steeples, and the possible transfer of former DeSmet DB Munir Prince.
As The Beef mentioned yesterday, Mizzou Gymnastics will begin the season at #16. Have we ever had this many teams ranked at once?
The NFL advisory board might end up changing its practice if every damn Big 12 junior decides to throw his name in for feedback. Mizzou's Chase Daniel, Chase Coffman, Stryker Sulak, Ziggy Hood, and Stryker Sulak all submitted their names for consideration--along with Jamaal Charles, Curtis Lofton, Malcolm Kelly, Reggie Smith, Jermichael Finley, and Anthony Collins. Pretty nice service, really...you're told where you're projected and what you need to work on...might as well, I guess. The KC Star has more.
And yes, Greg Bracey's entertaining-but-sparse career as a Tiger is over.
Arkansas' SEC mystique doesn't intimidate Mizzou. Uhh, good?
Finally, I realize I'm jinxing the everliving crap out of them by acknowledging this, but how freaking well are my Blazers playing right now??? Roy's a ridiculous leader, Travis Outlaw has figured the game out, Joel Pryzybilla (however you spell it) has turned into that mean big man who alters every shot in the paint, and the three-headed point monster (Jarrett Jack, Steve Blake, and Sergio Rodriguez...Starrgio Rodlack?) is playing steady ball. If Roy didn't have a degenerative heel and Aldridge didn't have a damn heart issue (not to mention plantar fascitis), I'd be positively giddy about the 2009-10 season.
Yeah, they will now lose 7 in a row.