MU LOSES AGAIN ON ROAD
In what has become a familiar refrain, the Missouri Tigers lost again on the road Wednesday night to Nebraska, 58-69. It was the final Big XII game played in the Devaney Center.
Fortunately for the Tigers, it was also the final road game of the season. With only two road wins and with a record standing at 22-8 overall and 8-7 in conference play, #24 Mizzou is still headed for the NCAA Tournament but with dwindling hope of making a more than a cameo appearance. Past Tiger teams under Coach Mike Anderson seem to have gotten stronger and more cohesive going into postseason play. This year's team lacks the basic toughness and togetherness of Anderson's teams that made big impacts in March.
Saturday's nationally televised game against Kansas in Mizzou Arena offers a chance for some measure of redemption for the Tigers, 17-0 at home this year. They will face a KU team that backed into at least a tie for the Big XII regular season title when Kansas State handed Texas its third loss in the past four. Mizzou could feather its NCAA nest by plucking the Jayhawks in the regular season finale.
Win, lose or draw and the Tigers will go into Kansas City as a #5 Seed to face #12 Iowa State in the first round of the Big XII Tournament. A good showing against KU, a victory over the Cyclones and a competitive rematch with K-State on a neutral court should put the Tigers on a 7, 8 or 9 line in the Big Dance. While MU could win a first round game, it would take dramatic improvement to expect much more, even against a field without many true powerhouses.
Missouri may have overachieved somewhat this year, having been projected to finish 8th in the preseason conference coaches' poll; but that is little consolation for Tiger fans who saw Mizzou ranked in the Top 25 for most of the season. This has been a team that lacked that "little something" when it lost winnable games against Georgetown, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. Unless this edition of Missouri finds that intangible spark in the next three games, it will again be March Sadness for Mizzou Nation.
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