Mizzou 81, Iowa State 75 (2OT). NIT hopes still alive! Thoughts...
- 7,691 in attendance for senior night. As I mentioned last night, that's fitting in so many ways.
- Any time Mizzou can win getting a 4-for-16 night from Keon/Tiller, I'll take it. I did enjoy the role reversal of Keon fouling out in regulation and Tiller staying out of foul trouble most of the game.
- I also mentioned this last night, but Demarre Carroll has started to become very crafty on the offensive end, and if he can add two healthy ankles to his newfound craftiness, that might be a good thing for this team down the line (i.e. next year).
- Leo Lyons just doesn't look like he's enjoying himself.
- As lackluster as this team was for the first 24 minutes of the game, they did a good job of going into "This is embarrassing" mode and remembering what pride feels like.
Game stories! Carroll, Lyons lead Tigers to double-overtime victory (Trib), On the Mend, Carroll shows flashes of his old form for MU (Missourian), MU wins last home men's basketball game of regular season (Missourian), Tigers roar back late, beat Iowa State in two OTs (KC Star), Tigers survive in double overtime (Post-Dispatch), Cyclones winless again on road in Big 12 (Des Moines Register),
You know what I said about Lyons not seeming happy? Well the same impression is made with this Trib story about his thinking about entering the draft...
Anderson has called Lyons out in practice and benched him in games, all in hopes of getting him to drive in a higher gear on the court. He sat Lyons most of the second half in this season’s first meeting with Iowa State, a 72-67 loss. He played just 15 minutes that night, finishing with four points, two rebounds and three turnovers. For 10 games after that one, Anderson kept Lyons out of the starting lineup.
"I didn’t need it for motivation," Lyons said. "The motivation was inside of me. It was just something that I had to want to do. I always wanted him to just give it to me, because I feel like I have a lot of talent and I can help this team. But he wasn’t going to do that, so it was more me going out there and take it."
Then you needed it for motivation!! Of course, then he ends with this quote...
"For the first time in my life, I can say that I’m giving everything I’ve got these last few games," Lyons said. "With the effort, it feels almost easy when I go out there."
Then you needed it for motivation!! (Gabe has more on Lyons in the PM Mailbag)
Being that winter refuses to let up, this week's Mizzou baseball schedule has been changed. Their three-game set (and home opener) with Indiana State will now be played Saturday 2pm, Sunday 1pm, and Sunday 4pm.
Spring football previews! They're starting to wrap up here, but we've got Dave Matter looking at the D-line and PowerMizzou looking at Special Teams...
And if that's not enough football for you, check out this Post-Dispatch article on Lorenzo Williams and his preparations for Mizzou's pro day (which Martin Rucker will apparently miss).
Finally, Sunday Morning QB takes a look at what won games in the Big 12 this year.