Nov 20, 2001
Missouri will bring its double-edged attack to Kansas City as the Tigers face Alabama in the semifinals of the NABC Guardians Classic on Tuesday.
Fifth-ranked Missouri (2-0) has been successful from both the inside and the perimeter. In Wednesday's 86-58 victory over Air Force, the Tigers pounded the ball inside.
Clarence Gilbert scored 20 points, and All-America candidate Kareem Rush had 18 to lead the Tigers.
"That was the type of game Coach (Quin Snyder) said it was going to be, penetrating and kicking it, not settling for jump shots," Gilbert said. "It's a lot of fun.
"I like to get in there and play around with it, see what happens."
Missouri outrebounded Air Force 31-12. More importantly, Rush thinks the Tigers may have found an offensive scheme for the rest of the season.
"We knew they were going to play off of us and we thought we had an advantage by driving the ball and kicking it to each other," Rush said. "That's the game plan for the rest of the year."
Rush, who earned All-America honorable mention last season, leads the Tigers with 23.5 points per game.
The 22nd-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) also won its first two contests, against Mississippi Valley State and Samford, to advance to the meeting with the Tigers in Kansas City, Mo.
"Were excited to win two games and advance," Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said. "I know the players are fired up and ready to play. We have some veteran players and they're anxious to see how we fare."
Gottfried, however, knows Missouri will present a much tougher challenge than their previous two opponents.
"Our guys are hungry for a challenge, and I think its a great test against a very talented team," he said. "Quin and his staff do a great job. Kareem Rush is one of the best players in the country, and they have size inside. Its a hard team to guard because of their offensive firepower."
On Wednesday, the Crimson Tide buried Samford 83-51 behind Erwin Dudley's 15 points. Like Missouri, Alabama found success inside, outrebounding Samford 40-23 and outscoring the Bulldogs 32-16 in the paint.
Alabama has won all four of its previous meetings against Missouri.