Post by MizzouTiger on Jan 31, 2008 11:22:17 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/385/story/468474.html
Short-handed MU hangs tough, but loses
By MIKE DeARMOND The Kansas City Star
COLUMBIA | All season long Missouri’s basketball team has tried to win over its own fans. How ironic that all the Tigers needed to do was throw a six-pack of scholarship players and chip in two walk-ons.
With suspended players Leo Lyons, Jason Horton, Marshall Brown and Darryl Butterfield in street clothes on the bench and Stefhon Hannah nursing his broken jaw in Chicago, a full student section came to Mizzou Arena to see if eight players were enough to defeat Nebraska.
Actually, Missouri played only seven. And ultimately, the Tigers lost, 66-62, Nebraska getting its first Big 12 victory in five tries. Missouri fell to 12-9 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12.
Missouri trailed by just two with possession of the basketball with 16.3 seconds remaining.
But J.T. Tiller, one of the raging stars of the Tigers on this night with 14 points and eight rebounds, threw a soft pass at the wrong time. Nebraska intercepted it and Ryan Anderson turned it into a layup and a 64-60 lead.
Still, this crowd appreciated what it was given from the few in black and gold.
With 1 minute, 21 seconds left in the first half, the Tigers trailed by nine points.
But seven unanswered points in the final 80 seconds pulled Mizzou within 32-30 at the break and a crowd of 8,660 — the third-largest home gathering of the season — to its feet with a collective roar.
Sure, the most noise in the first half was showered upon Missouri’s Cotton Bowl champion football team, the love of this campus’ life after finishing 12-2 and No. 4 in the nation, including beating Kansas for the Big 12 North title in Arrowhead Stadium.
But there was no lack of support — for one of the first times in a 12-8 season — for the hoops Tigers.
Everybody loves an underdog, which despite Nebraska coming in 0-4 in the Big 12 the Tigers became early Sunday morning when the suspended players earned their penalty by ignoring coach Mike Anderson’s midnight curfew.
And there was a lot of love, hope and deportation thrown at the eight men out there on Norm Stewart Court.
J.T. Tiller, a reserve guard high on energy, drove his way to 10 points in the first half. DeMarre Carroll scored seven points and ripped down nine rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
Nebraska’s 6-11, 275-pound center — Aleks Maric — dominated as expected. He scored 11 points and ripped down 10 rebounds in that first half.
But the Cornhuskers helped make this a close game at the break, launching 16 threes and hitting only six when going inside every time down.
Nebraska wised up in the second half, attempting only three more threes. And despite Mizzou giving all that it had, it wasn’t enough, a fact that should have pained the four suspended players.
Short-handed MU hangs tough, but loses
By MIKE DeARMOND The Kansas City Star
COLUMBIA | All season long Missouri’s basketball team has tried to win over its own fans. How ironic that all the Tigers needed to do was throw a six-pack of scholarship players and chip in two walk-ons.
With suspended players Leo Lyons, Jason Horton, Marshall Brown and Darryl Butterfield in street clothes on the bench and Stefhon Hannah nursing his broken jaw in Chicago, a full student section came to Mizzou Arena to see if eight players were enough to defeat Nebraska.
Actually, Missouri played only seven. And ultimately, the Tigers lost, 66-62, Nebraska getting its first Big 12 victory in five tries. Missouri fell to 12-9 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12.
Missouri trailed by just two with possession of the basketball with 16.3 seconds remaining.
But J.T. Tiller, one of the raging stars of the Tigers on this night with 14 points and eight rebounds, threw a soft pass at the wrong time. Nebraska intercepted it and Ryan Anderson turned it into a layup and a 64-60 lead.
Still, this crowd appreciated what it was given from the few in black and gold.
With 1 minute, 21 seconds left in the first half, the Tigers trailed by nine points.
But seven unanswered points in the final 80 seconds pulled Mizzou within 32-30 at the break and a crowd of 8,660 — the third-largest home gathering of the season — to its feet with a collective roar.
Sure, the most noise in the first half was showered upon Missouri’s Cotton Bowl champion football team, the love of this campus’ life after finishing 12-2 and No. 4 in the nation, including beating Kansas for the Big 12 North title in Arrowhead Stadium.
But there was no lack of support — for one of the first times in a 12-8 season — for the hoops Tigers.
Everybody loves an underdog, which despite Nebraska coming in 0-4 in the Big 12 the Tigers became early Sunday morning when the suspended players earned their penalty by ignoring coach Mike Anderson’s midnight curfew.
And there was a lot of love, hope and deportation thrown at the eight men out there on Norm Stewart Court.
J.T. Tiller, a reserve guard high on energy, drove his way to 10 points in the first half. DeMarre Carroll scored seven points and ripped down nine rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
Nebraska’s 6-11, 275-pound center — Aleks Maric — dominated as expected. He scored 11 points and ripped down 10 rebounds in that first half.
But the Cornhuskers helped make this a close game at the break, launching 16 threes and hitting only six when going inside every time down.
Nebraska wised up in the second half, attempting only three more threes. And despite Mizzou giving all that it had, it wasn’t enough, a fact that should have pained the four suspended players.