Saturday Live Thread

Mizzou scored three runs on four hits in the first two innings last night versus Arizona and led, 3-2, after three. Then things took a turn. Mizzou was no-hit the rest of the way, and Arizona put up seven in the fourth, three in the seventh and three in the eighth. But no matter! It's in the past. Mizzou attempts to bounce back with Rob Zastryzny on the mound tonight against the region's No. 2 seed, New Mexico State.

6:00 p.m. CT
NCAA Baseball Tournament
Mizzou vs. New Mexico State
Gametracker: Here
Internet TV: ESPN3

Some other discussion topics for this lovely Saturday afternoon...

1. Others Aren't As Fond Of The New SEC Schedules as we are.

SB Nation: SEC's 6-1-1 Schedule Keeps Rivalries, Hurts Cross-Division Play
Team Speed Kills: SEC Scheduling Controversy Ends the Way Everyone Expected
Birmingham Times: SEC adopts 6-1-1 football schedule protecting Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia
Pre-Snap Read: SEC Approves 6-1-1 Conference Schedule
EDSBS: HE SEC'S PERMANENT RIVALRIES ARE ANNOUNCED, LET'S PARTY WITH FLOATING LEE CORSO
Senator Blutarsky: The SEC needs to appoint a Director of Excuses

While Missouri fans seemed to get most of what they wanted -- rivalry with Arkansas, etc. -- the announcement of the 6-1-1 scheduling for football was inevitably going to annoy people who wanted a nine-game conference slate and people who wanted to protect this or that matchup. And on the basketball side, some seem a bit dismayed with the relegation of rivalries like Kentucky-Tennessee to a once-per-year matchup. There was no way to make everybody happy, though.

2. Bring On Arkansas, Huh?

The Trib: Tigers land a new Border War rival for SEC: Arkansas
KC Star: SEC elevates Arkansas-Missouri games to rivalry status
Post-Dispatch: Missouri paired with Arkansas
Fox Sports MW: Mizzou to face new Border War foe Arkansas
The Trib: Only time will tell if Tigers' new rivalry takes

Since Missouri announced it was joining the SEC last fall, Pinkel had expressed a preference to maintain a permanent game against fellow newcomer Texas A&M, hoping the matchup would help the Tigers preserve a recruiting presence in the state of Texas.

Alden acknowledged that concern yesterday but indicated Pinkel would support Arkansas as the permanent Western Division opponent

"That's important for Missouri because we've certainly established a really strong recruiting base in" Texas, Alden said. "But at the end of the day, we wanted what was best for the league and what the league wanted to be able to support. We believe with Arkansas as our permanent crossover, we'll be able to maintain a strong foothold in Texas."

Alden mentioned possibly scheduling nonconference games in Texas to help maintain a recruiting presence. Of the 11 nonconference games Missouri has scheduled for 2013 and beyond, none are against teams from Texas.

I've long been on the record saying that I wanted Arkansas. It just made sense from a geography perspective and from the perspective that Missouri has more history with Arkansas (mostly in basketball) than with any other team in the conference not named Texas A&M. (And from the "God, they're going to be so fun to hate" perspective.) I understand why Pinkel wanted A&M on the docket every year, but from a long-term view, this makes more sense.

3. Go Jerrell Jackson!

ABC13 Houston: VIDEO: Houston native Jerrell Jackson trying to stick with Texans as wide receiver