Odds and Ends: More on Missouri's win over Oklahoma State
Just a couple of quick hitters as I sit in the bowels of the Ford Center after Friday's semifinal action:
-- Missouri had three players in double figures in points, led by Zaire Taylor's season-high 19 points. Matt Lawrence and Leo Lyons had 11 and 15 points, respectively.
-- Yet again, Missouri won the turnover battle, 17-10. OSU's Byron Eaton was the culprit in eight of OSU's 17 turnovers. At times, Eaton appeared to be playing the game faster in his mind than his body would allow. Eaton threw several errant passes away while in midair, and even threw passes with such velocity that his teammates couldn't hold on to them.
-- I couldn't mention it in the game story, but the game hinged around OSU's James Anderson. Anderson was a beast on the break for Oklahoma State. Anderson had 20 points and changed the game's flow in OSU's favor when he was on the floor. However, Anderson quickly accrued four fouls, and his absence on the floor late in the game swung the tide in Missouri's favor.
-- According to the reporter from the Oklahoma State student newspaper, this was the first time OSU guard Keiton Page had been held scoreless.
-- Oklahoma State really disrupted Missouri with its 2-3 zone. Missouri players and coach Mike Anderson said the Cowboys were really "sagging" to keep Missouri on the perimeter. It forced Missouri to jack up a lot of threes, and it took DeMarre Carroll out of the game offensively. It'll be interesting to see what approach a very small Baylor team takes against Missouri in the championship game.
-- Missouri's matchup with Baylor means that a Big 12 North team will square off with a Big 12 South team in the finals for the fourth consecutive year.
-- The Big 12 Championship finals appearance is Missouri's third in school history. The Tigers are winless in their two previous appearances, including their most recent finals game, a 49-47 loss to Oklahoma in 2003.