The Monday Morning Scrappy Utilityman
Where to start...where to start...
Actually, it's pretty obvious where to start.
Missouri-Kansas.
A classic way to end The Border War in Columbia.
I had a quest: We were flying back from Las Vegas Saturday night at 7 p.m. St. Louis time. That meant we would miss the live telecast of the game, and I wanted to be able to land, get our luggage, and make it home without finding out what happened at Mizzou Arena. It figured to be a difficult pursuit.
The pilot could've fucked it up by announcing the score when we landed. A passenger could've checked the score on his or her phone and blurted out the score. Or, if we were landing at an airport where there were flights after 8 p.m. or televisions on after 8 p.m., we could accidentally see the outcome.
Fortunately, we were flying into Lambert.
So, I just had to avoid the announcements on the flight and the discussion after landing, which I was able to do with noise-reducing headphones and blasting music...and then I had to keep my phone off. No texts.
As we were heading down the escalator at Lambert dodging tumbleweed, Anna-Marie, who was well aware of my psychotic behavior and plan, showed me a text she had received from her father. I said I can't look at it, because it could give information away as to the outcome of the game. She thought I was insane. Par for the course.
We make it out of Lambert. We're waiting for our ride, and Anna-Marie shows me a text from her friend. Thinking she understood the severity of my psychosis...and after busting balls/clits over her showing me the first text...I figured this text couldn't possibly indicate what happened in the game.
And, in her mind, it didn't.
But, what you fucking people don't understand is I read souls. I see shit you can't see. I'm like Haley Joel Osment...except smaller.
So, when she showed me the text sent at 10:12 that said, "That shit cray...are you guys out tonight," I immediately knew Missouri won the game in a close contest.
Anna-Marie, however, looked at it as an amusing text from her friend referencing the Jay-Z and Kanye West song "(STLTodayCommenter's Implied Word of Choice) In Paris." She thought it was harmless. It was a blatant tell.
I assigned 2% probability to the text meaning KU won the game in a close contest on a controversial call, but considering her friend was a cheerleader at Missouri, I figured that there was little chance she'd send a text like that asking if we were out boozing had Missouri lost in a miserable fashion.
However, we didn't know for sure...and so that was the only piece of information that we got before getting home. And, that means we were able to settle in on the couch and watch the entire thing with some suspense.
What a fucking game.
When Tyshawn Taylor pwnd it with authority to make it 71-63 with 3:23 left, I said, "How does Missouri win this game?" I was thinking my read on the Jay-Z/Kanye text may have been wrong. Down eight with no answer for Thomas Robinson and 1/13th of the game left to score a minimum of 1/8th of the amount of points they'd scored in the first 12/13th of the game? Math and logic dictated it was impossible.
Then Marcus Denmon went off. The officials continued their shitty performance on both sides (I thought they really did KU wrong...but they were just flat-out bad Saturday for both teams). And, Tyshawn Taylor went all Kiwane Garris.
Off ticked the final seconds...and the best part? Outside of improving to 21-2? Outside of moving to the top of the Big 12? Outside of the final chapter in Columbia closing with a thriller...and KU not scoring a point for the final 204 seconds? Kim English---who I believe will be head coach, AD, or governor at some point---stands in front of the crowd and keeps them from rushing the floor.
Here's how English explained his reasoning for standing his ground and holding the fans back to Bryan Burwell of the Post-Dispatch: "We don't go into games expecting to lose," English said when explaining why he stopped the big party. "We prepare to win every game and this game to us was just a continuation of our quest to win the Big 12."
Maturity. Progress. Focus.
Denmon echoed the same sentiments following the win in his on-floor interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe when he said the Tigers need to turn the page and focus on Oklahoma tonight.
Same team...minus Laurence Bowers and Justin Safford...and they're 21-2 having beaten Kansas in Columbia and Baylor in Waco.
This isn't a coronation of Frank Haith, because the sample size is too small, and important aspects such as the postseason, recruiting, and staying power are yet to be seen. But, it sure as hell an indictment of Mike Anderson.
Arkansas fans don't want to hear that, and many have said on Twitter: "Haith is doing this with Anderson's players."
Cool. I'll grant you that.
Then here's my question:
Why couldn't Anderson do this with these players?
And, then there are the Illinois fans who say this is exactly what happened with the Illini, Bill Self, and Bruce Weber inheriting his players.
Two things about that:
Self's teams at Illinois were consistently at or near the top fo the Big Ten. Anderson's weren't. Furthermore, Self left after a damn good 2003 season in which the Illini went 25-7/11-5 and were a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Anderson left after a season that collapsed in 2011, and he had all of seven scholarship players sitting there for Haith after his questionable (euphemism) recruiting work last year.
But, once again, this isn't a coronation of Haith. It's an illustration of what some actual coaching, leadership, and organization can do. Maybe Haith is a flash in the pan. Maybe not. The book isn't over. But, Anderson's in Columbia is.
Thankfully.
And, let's not ignore the players. Kim English looked lost last year. Look at him Saturday night. Marcus Denmon looked lost the last month. Look at him Saturday night. Phil Pressey and Ricardo Ratliffe didn't even have good games, but how critical have they been to what's happened this year? Dixon. Moore. M. Pressey.
And...well, that's it.
Seven guys.
That's it. Only seven guys played Saturday. Plenty of foul trouble. And, only seven guys got on the floor. Maybe that depth will kill them in March. But, right now, they're the engine that's taking this team into some startling territory.
No matter where the 2011-12 Missouri Tigers' season ends, this team has given fans an overwhelming positive memory for the year by beating their archrival in a classic comeback in front of a ridiculous atmosphere and national television audience.
Quick Hits
-Bill Self on the crowd Saturday night: "“I loved the atmosphere. So much has been made about the hatred. I thought tonight...and this is hard for me to say to Mizzou people (smiling) ... that was about as good and classy atmosphere as there is. I hope it will be the same when they come to our place. I’m sure it will be."
-Bill Self on the future of the Missouri-Kansas game: “I haven’t made a decision about five years down the road, or three years. But it’s not going to happen in the immediate future.
“They chose to be somewhere else. That’s their prerogative. If it’s better for them, so be it. But when you chose to be somewhere else, you leave situation behind that’s not the same as it was when you were in it.
“It’s more than me involved, you have chancellors, trustees, you’ve got ADs, it’s more than just a basketball, although I probably have the main call. Right now, it’s not going to happen in the immediate future. It’s not because I don’t like Mizzou. It’s the way it is right now.
“I don’t feel bad. Missouri wanted this. Why should I feel bad? I don’t feel bad for anybody. If anybody should feel bad for anybody it’s the players who don’t’ get a chance to play in it. Not the fans. The fans to me don’t drive the bus, at all. Missouri wanted this. That’s how I see it.”
-I wonder what Tulsa and Illinois fans think about the above comments.
-If Kansas would've been offered the ability to go to the SEC, they would've gone. Missouri---to the dismay of many Missouri fans---was going to stick around that Big 12 mess until OU's AD indicated the Sooners were still open to checking out other options. That was the last straw. Missouri didn't want to be at the mercy of OU and Texas, and they took control of their fate.
-At the same time, some Missouri fans busted Nebraska's balls for leaving to go the Big Ten when the Cornhuskers got the invite...and the Tigers didn't.
-Here's what Missouri has left:
-at OU
-vs. Baylor
-vs. Oklahoma State
-at Texas A & M
-vs. K-State
-at Kansas
-vs. Iowa State
-at Texas Tech
My guess is two losses. One at Lawrence. And, one at some random road game. The one that it can't be is at home this Saturday against Baylor. If the Tigers are able to go through this schedule with just one loss and win the Big 12 Tournament, I believe they'll get a #1 seed and play in St. Louis. There's a chance that that can happen with two losses, but anything more than two losses between now and Selection Sunday, and my guess is the Tigers are either a #1 in the West or a #2 in a non-St. Louis Regional.
-I'm not going to give you any Super Bowl coverage. You don't want it from me, and even if you did for some reason, you could get much better analysis damn near anywhere else. But, where else can you get this?
-Mardi Gras is fast approaching. It's going to be cold. The insideSTL Tent is going to be warm...plus include premium drinks, food, and private restrooms. Prime location at the corner of 9th and Geyer. It was a damn good time last year, and we're looking forward to more creepery this year. It's all presented by Miller Lite and Johnnie Brock's Dungeon. You can buy tickets by clicking HERE.
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