The expectations have changed Mizzou fans. Winning is expected against the top teams in the nation. Tiger nation baby!
It is hard to follow-up what transpired in Columbia last Saturday when the Kansas Jayhawks came to Columbia. With the #6 Baylor Bears coming to Columbia this Saturday, there was still plenty at stake.
With a win, Baylor was still in the running for a shot at the Big 12 title.
Baylor had the early momentum. They quieted Mizzou Arena and were able to keep it close in the first half by out rebounding Mizzou. Baylor controlled the game with a patient tempo on offense.
Baylor out played Mizzou in the 1st half. Baylor had 12 offensive rebounds for the half. Ouch.
Michael Dixon shoots over Pierre Jackson 2/11 (photo via WilliamGreenblattPhotography.com)
The Tigers were unable to generate ball movement on offense. Ricardo Ratliffe finished with 6 points and 8 rebounds. He was far from the player that scored 27 points in the game at Baylor last month.
Under Mike Anderson, the “40 minutes of hell” Tigers would continue to be exploited in the paint. Now, with Frank Haith at the helm, the Tigers adjust. Haith put both Ricardo Ratliffe and Steve Moore on the floor to give them an inside presence and stop the bleeding on the boards.
Frank Haith on the adjustments:
The scary part: Despite all of that, they led the #6 Bears 33-29 at half.
2nd half
With Moore and Ratliffe dominating inside, the Tigers barrage of guards absolutely take over games, which is exactly what they did.
On the Tigers first possession of the 2nd half, Phil Pressey grabbed the rebound and took it the length of the court for an easy layup.
Kim English picked up his 3rd foul with 18 minutes to play in the 2nd half; he had zero points at the time. Haith had no choice but to keep English in the game at this point, the Tigers only play seven men. English would bounce back and finish with 12 points. He still leads the nation in 3-Point FG percentage.
The Tigers defense stepped up in the 2nd half. They held Baylor scoreless for a five-minute stretch.
Talk about a game changer. That is 6’9 270 lbs throwin’ it down!
Moore’s dunk got Mizzou Arena fired up, and the Tigers responded with draining 3’s.
The Tigers shot 50% from downtown. Hard to lose when a team is able to do that.
The win over Baylor marks the 100th career victory for seniors Kim English, Marcus Denmon and Steve Moore. They were freshmen when the Tigers made their Elite Eight run four years ago. Kudos to them.
Stat lines:
Phil Pressey-19 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds. Leads the Big 12 in assists and steals
Michael Dixon-16 points, 6 assists.
Marcus Denmon-16 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
Daily Grind Sports 