May 12, 2009
Columbia, Mo. - It opened inconspicuously enough in front of a crowd of 75 in Ontario, Canada, but finished in front of nearly 20,000 rabid fans in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight in Glendale, Ariz. The story of the 2009 Missouri Basketball season is full of highlights and milestones, but the essence of this whirlwind tour resonates with an unlikely collection of 14 players and a resolute head coach with a championship vision.
From Day One Head Coach Mike Anderson sensed something special about his third team at Mizzou. Filled with blue-collar, unselfish players hungry to chase down the program's first Big 12 crown, Missouri got off to an early start in August, preparing for a three-game tour of Canada. The Tigers worked together all summer, staying in Columbia to get the team's seven newcomers acclimated with a core group of returning veterans.
Coming off a 16-16 season, Anderson brought in a group of newcomers that not only knew how to win, but downright expected it and used their confidence to accent a senior class hungry and willing to lead Missouri Basketball out of its darkest days.
"It's about changing the culture," Anderson said during his season opening press conference, but changing Missouri's culture wouldn't be easy. The Tigers were coming off that .500 record and hadn't played an NCAA Tournament game since the 2002-03 season. Heck, even Missouri's seniors were still a few years away from college. And the freshmen? Well, let's just say the freshmen were still looking forward to Saturday morning cartoons. Still, Anderson instilled a gritty mentality into his squad and cultivated a club that was not only willing to play "The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball", but rejuvenate a fan base to make the Missouri Nation whole once again.
The 2009 season got off to a quick start as the Tigers raced to a 9-1 record. Missouri opened with dominating victories over Prairie View A&M and Chattanooga before facing Xavier, Fairfield and #19 USC in San Juan, P.R. Picked seventh in the Big 12 Conference's preseason standings, little was expected of Mizzou down in the Caribbean. The Tigers were facing an Xavier team fresh off an Elite Eight appearance, but only 7-of-20 free throw shooting in the second half kept Mizzou from its first noteworthy win of the year. The Tigers' pressure defense forced the normally steady Musketeers into 22 turnovers and the club recorded a tournament record 16 steals. Despite making six more field goals than Xavier, Missouri's late struggles at the foul line forced MU's first signature win to come three days later.
After an 87-59 win over Fairfield, Missouri secured fourth place at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off with an impressive 83-72 win over #19 USC. The Trojans came armed with a talented starting lineup, but once again, it was MU's depth that told the story. Anderson's bunch trailed by as many as 12 points in the opening period, but the steady influence of the Missouri pressure and a 20-6 run late in the contest gave Missouri the win over a ranked non-conference opponent. DeMarre Carroll led MU with 29 points and 11 rebounds, while J.T. Tiller added 13 points and three steals. Carroll was named to the Tip-Off All-Tournament Team and Tiller ripped away 11 steals in three games to begin his bid for Big 12 and National All-Defensive Team honors.
Missouri got offensive in its next three wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Oral Roberts and California. The Tigers averaged 93.3 points in three victories and punished Pine Bluff by 54 and a very good California team that earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament by 27 (93-66). The wins not only pushed the club's record to 7-1, but fueled Mizzou Arena's transformation from being the finest on-campus basketball facility in America to the most difficult place to play in college basketball in 2008-09. Missouri went a perfect 18-0 at home in 2008-09, won 15-of-18 games by double-figure margins and averaged a national-best 25.2 ppg scoring margin at home. The Tigers knocked off ranked opponents such as #16 Kansas and #16 Oklahoma and hammered other NCAA Tournament teams like Cal and Chattanooga.
Double-figure wins over Murray State (75-64) and Stetson (78-44) led Missouri into St. Louis for the annual Busch Braggin' Rights Game with Illinois and ultimately served as the team's first test of perseverance. MU cracked the Top 25 national rankings for the first time since the 2003-04 season the day prior to tip-off and a young Missouri team got its first taste of playing with a target squarely on its back.
Illinois came out on firing offensively, shooting 57 percent for the game and Missouri struggled, hitting just 37 percent of its shots. Leo Lyons (22) and Taylor (11) were the lone Tigers to reach double figures and 2-of-18 shooting from three-point range allowed Illinois to run away with a 75-59 decision
Missouri rebounded nicely from the Illinois defeat by winning four consecutive games to close out non-conference play. The Tigers averaged close to 40-point margin of victories against SIU-Edwardsville, Centenary and Coppin State and snared a key road victory at Georgia on Jan. 3. The Tigers shot just 46 percent from the floor in Athens, Ga., but forced UGA into 23 turnovers and got 17 points from both Carroll and newcomer Zaire Taylor to earn the win. Seldom does a defensive play get credit for turning the tide in a close contest, but that's exactly what happened, as junior transfer Keith Ramsey soared in to reject a Bulldog fast break lay-up opportunity, ultimately resulting in a Tiger bucket and the ensuing 14-4 run.
Armed with a 13-2 non-conference record, Missouri returned to the road to open Big 12 play at Nebraska. The Tigers were once again on the cusp of the national rankings, but a slow start at the Bob Devaney Center saw MU fall behind by as many as 18 in the second half before rallying to tie the game in the final two minutes. Missouri's up-tempo style of play was disrupted by Nebraska's methodical half-court grind, but MU's halftime adjustments got the Tigers right back in the contest. After going scoreless in the first half, Carroll and fellow senior Lyons combined to score 19 points, while Tiller added 11. However 16 turnovers and 38 percent shooting was too much to overcome as the Tigers dropped the Big 12 opener 56-51.
As it did all season, Missouri regrouped after a difficult defeat and went on to win 11 of its next 12 Big 12 games to surge to an 11-2 league record. The Tigers opened with back-to-back home drubbings of both Colorado and Iowa State to push to 2-1 in league action. Missouri shot an incredible 63 percent from the floor vs. the Buffaloes and six different Tigers, including freshmen Laurence Bowers (16), Marcus Denmon (13) and Kim English (12) reached double figures in the 107-62 win. The 45-point margin of victory was Missouri's largest in Big 12 history.
The stellar play continued just three days later as MU outscored Iowa State 48-26 in the second half to win 77-46 over the Cyclones. Missouri shot 65 percent in the final period and 52 percent from three-point range for the game to hand Iowa State its worst loss of the year.
One of the most exciting games of the regular season occurred Jan. 21 at Gallagher-Iba Arena where the Tigers withstood Oklahoma State 97-95. Missouri was simply brilliant as it built up a 75-55 lead midway through the second half. As you would expect, however, Oklahoma State kept fighting and got within a point of Mizzou in the final minute, but this day was all about Missouri and the Tigers held on for the two-point win. Carroll and Matt Lawrence each scored 19 points and four of Missouri's five starters reached double figures and the club never trailed in the game.
The Tigers continued their high-scoring escapades in a 97-86 win over Texas Tech. Carroll was brilliant as he tossed in 27 points. Freshmen guards Denmon and English also combined for 27 as the Tiger defense forced and incredible 29 turnovers.
Missouri's four-game winning streak was halted at Kansas State in an 88-72 defeat, but the club responded admirably with an 89-72 win over a highly-regard Baylor club just a few days later. Baylor entered the season as the sleeper pick in the Big 12 Conference and returned virtually every performer from an NCAA Tournament run a year before. Missouri got 25 points from Carroll and a career high 30 points from Lyons as the Tiger onslaught overpowered the Bears by 17. Lyons hit 14-of-15 free throws and Carroll connected on 11-of-13 charity attempts as the Tigers attacked in the post to get the win. Baylor actually cut Missouri's lead to one (68-67) with just over five minute remaining, but a 21-5 run to close the contest told the tale. Tiller was the only other Tiger in double figures that day, scoring 10, but he also chipped in eight assists and failed to commit a turnover in 29 minutes of play.
The Texas 2-Step was capped by a last-second win at #16 Texas, 69-65. Missouri showed its resiliency throughout the contest, battling back from a 12-point deficit to win in Austin for the first time since 1999. Zaire Taylor banked home an "and-1" runner with five seconds remaining to cast the deciding blow to push Mizzou to 19-4 on the season.
Texas had the ball with the game tied on the previous possession, but outstanding defense by MU forced a hurried three-pointer from A.J. Abrams and once Carroll corralled the rebound and the Tigers called a timeout, the game was theirs to be won. Taylor and Mizzou worked the clock under 10 seconds when the transfer from Staten Island, N.Y., saw an opening, shot through the lane and calmly swished home the bank shot while being fouled to send a deafening silence throughout the Frank Erwin Center. After Taylor's free throw and a steal by the Tigers on the inbounds pass, Missouri was celebrating its third road win in just five tries.
Missouri notched another key road win that weekend at Iowa State by an impressive 82-68 margin. After handing the Cyclones their worst loss of the season just as few weeks prior, the Tigers led from coast-to-coast at Hilton Coliseum, highlighted by Carroll's career high 31 points and English's 16. Missouri shot 57 percent from the floor and English's 4-of-5 three-point shooting paced a strong Mizzou effort from beyond the arc (.563).
That win over Iowa State set the table for a highly-anticipated match-up between #17 Mizzou and #16 Kansas on ESPN Big Monday. The Tigers and Jayhawks were both squaring off as ranked teams for the first time since Feb. 3, 2003, and the nation's most heated rivalry held true to form in front of a nationally-televised audience. Kansas got off to a quick start and led by as many as 14 points in the second period, only to have Mizzou chip away and set the stage for a miraculous finish.
Kansas led by 11 points (54-43) at the under-eight media timeout, but seven consecutive Mizzou tallies cut the lead to 54-51. The Jayhawks rallied back with four consecutive points of their own to make it 58-51, before Lawrence rebounded a Carroll miss and scored around KU's Cole Aldrich. Missouri then forced one of Kansas' 27 turnovers on the night and got a bucket from Carroll and a free throw from Tiller to cut the lead down to two, 58-56. Lyons swished home two free throws to tie the game for just the second time all night. Tiller and Kansas' Mario Little then exchanged hoops setting up Taylor's second game winner in under a week. With time winding down, Taylor stepped through a pair of Jayhawk defenders and had his jumper rim home just before time expired to earn one of the biggest wins of the season for Mizzou.
Resounding wins over Colorado (66-53), Nebraska (70-47) and Kansas State (94-74) and a tough road loss at Kansas (90-65) carried Missouri into its home finale against #4 Oklahoma. The Tigers and Sooners still had a shot at winning or sharing the Big 12 regular-season crown and Missouri was looking to close out its 2008-09 home slate with a perfect 18-0 mark. It wouldn't be easy however, as Oklahoma entered Mizzou Arena as the highest-ranked team in the Big 12 and welcomed back a healthy Blake Griffin, who was the unchallenged choice as National Player of the Year. Missouri started its four seniors, Carroll, Lawrence, Lyons and Michael Anderson Jr. and that quartet not only played to the emotions of a packed Mizzou Arena crowd, but took control of one of the nation's most-anticipated contests with a 13-3 run just after tip-off. Each of Missouri's seniors contributed mightily from the outset. Carroll scored six, Lyons had a bucket, Lawrence hit a trey and Anderson had two steals and an assist. Oklahoma would never get closer than four points in the first half and the Tiger built their lead to as many as 15 in the final period to close out the regular season with a perfect home mark and push their overall home winning streak to 19 games.
Missouri closed out the regular season with a 96-86 road loss at a charged up Texas A&M, but showed zero signs of rust as it raced through Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Baylor en route to the Big 12 Tournament Championship in Oklahoma City. While top seeds like #1 Kansas, #2 Oklahoma and #4 Kansas State fell in the quarterfinals, the Tigers handled their business admirably, earning an 81-60 win over the Red Raiders, a 67-59 win over OSU in what amounted to a road game in Oklahoma City and a 73-60 win over Baylor in the Championship Game. Missouri's Fastest 40 Minutes pace worked masterfully, as the Tigers outscored their three opponents by a combined 13.3 points per game in the final 20 minutes alone. Carroll was named the Championship's Most Outstanding Player and Taylor joined him on the All-Tournament Team thanks in large part to a career high 19 points in the gutty win over Oklahoma State.
While Missouri's Big 12 Tournament Championship assured the club of a spot in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, there was little doubt these Tigers would be dancing once again with a 28-6 overall record. The club gathered at Mizzou Arena to watch Selection Sunday and saw another trip to Boise, Idaho, in their future. The #3 seed in the West Regional, Mizzou faced Ivy League Champion Cornell in the opening round and methodically wore down the Big Red to the tune of a 78-59 opening-round triumph. Lyons was simply dominating in the Tiger win, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while English and Carroll added 13 apiece.
As is the case each year in the NCAA Tournament, Missouri's road got tougher with each passing contest and the Tigers faced #23 Marquette in the second round. Marquette entered with one of the nation's best backcourts and regained the services of All-Big East point guard Dominic James, who was cleared to play at 11:30 p.m. the night before tip-off. The return of James gave the Golden Eagles a morale boost, but Missouri controlled the first half of action carrying a 46-35 lead into the halftime break. The freshman English was superb for the Tigers scoring 15 points in just six first-half minutes leading Mizzou to that comfortable margin. Marquette would rally back of course and led by four points (78-74) on a three-point play by Lazar Hayward. Tiller slowed the Tiger bleeding on the ensuing possession with a pair of free throws and then after a critical defensive stand (35-second violation) by the Missouri defense, Lyons converted on a reverse lay-up while being fouled to give Mizzou a 79-78 advantage yet again. Marquette's Jerel McNeal then split a pair of foul shots with :38 seconds left to tie the game (79-79), leaving the Tigers with a chance to run the clock with limited time remaining. After a Missouri timeout with :19 seconds left, Tiller bulldozed his way into the lane with just :05.5 seconds left and nearly made the lay-up while being fouled McNeal. The Marietta, Ga., native, nursing torn ligaments in his shooting wrist re-aggravated the injury on the fall and was unable to shoot the charity throws due to injury. Tiller entered the game a 75 percent foul shooter and had just made two critical charity shots a minute earlier, but was forced to give way to the freshman English (65 percent foul shooter), who had played just six minutes in the second half and had yet to hit a shot. With the game in the balance, the rookie calmly stepped to the line, swished home back-to-back free throws giving Missouri an 81-79 lead. After a Tiger timeout, Marquette committed an inbounds violation, giving Missouri the ball once again, clinching the program's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2001.
Missouri continued its run through the NCAA Tournament with a resounding 102-91 win over #2 Memphis in the West Region semifinals. Tiller led a spirited Tiger effort as he dazzled fans with a career high 23 on 10-of-16 shooting. He also added three assists, three steals and zero turnovers. Both clubs exchanged leads for the first 12 minutes, before a deep three-pointer by Lawrence gave Mizzou a 29-28 advantage. That triple sparked an 11-1 Missouri run, which ballooned out to 13 (49-36) on a miraculous (or as Dick Enberg would say "Oh My") 60-foot heave by the freshman Denmon. Missouri continued its onslaught building an advantage as high as 24 (64-40) before a late Memphis rally led by freshman Tyreke Evans cut the lead into single digits. Anderson's club would withstand Memphis' last-gasp however and score a season high 102 points against a Memphis team that was leading the country in scoring defense.
Missouri's gallant run through postseason play came to a close against top-seeded Connecticut two days later. The Tigers scratched and clawed vs. the favored Huskies and held a 50-49 advantage with just over 13 minutes remaining, but eventually succumbed to UConn 82-75. Missouri's future flashed brilliantly in the seven-point defeat, as forwards Justin Safford and Keith Ramsey combined for 17 points and six boards in reserve roles. Lawrence (13), Lyons (13) and Carroll (12) each closed out their careers as 1,000 point scorers, with Lawrence surpassing the plateau against the Huskies.
Missouri closed out the winningest season in school history with a 31-7 overall mark and a restored pride amongst the Tiger Nation. During his opening press conference on March 26, 2006, Anderson vowed to turn Mizzou Arena into a "Pit" and bring championship aspirations back to Columbia. Sure enough, three years later on March 26, 2009, the Tigers toppled #2 Memphis 102-91 and now the game ball from that Sweet 16 triumph sits next to a Big 12 Tournament Championship trophy in an Arena that boasts a 19-game home court winning streak. While the success of the 2008-09 Tigers is rooted in Anderson's Day One Vision, the substance comes from 14 unlikely teammates who banded together daily from the first weeks of June well past the Ides of March simply to remind the Tiger Faithful what it means to be apart of Missouri Basketball.