MU basketball dominates exhibition against Lincoln

After success in their first exhibition, MU realizes importance of all games.

By Ross Taylor

Published Nov. 7, 2008

Don't try to tell the Missouri men's basketball team the exhibition season doesn't count.

"The first game is the first game, whether it be an exhibition or the real season," guard J.T. Tiller said.

And though the game did not officially count, Missouri's 97-54 exhibition win over Lincoln on Thursday illustrated two key points of emphasis from coach Mike Anderson: defense and the incorporation of seven newcomers, five of them freshmen.

"The freshmen weren't scared," Tiller said. "They came out and they led the spark. We followed their lead."

Entering this exhibition season, Anderson hammered on defensive pressure, primarily clogging lanes, deflecting balls and collecting rebounds.

"It's been more about the defense than anything else," Anderson said of preparing for the exhibition season. "I feel we're a team that can score, but I think our defense is something we've got to bring each and every night."

Anderson, known for his high-pressure "40 Minutes of Hell" defense, is spending the preseason trying to determine what to expect from his squad on its own end of the floor.

"We ain't got to shoot the ball great. You're going to have some off nights," Anderson said. "But can you bring the energy with the defensive mindset?"

Against Lincoln, Missouri showed a variety of different defensive looks, including the 2-3 zone, the half-court man and the full-court press. The result was 21 Missouri steals and 38 Lincoln turnovers.

Although the athletic department had the team listed as 0-0 in the exhibition season entering Thursday night, Missouri unofficially opened the exhibition season in late August with a three-game tour through Canada.

Missouri rolled to three wins in Canada, defeating the Ontario All-Stars, Brock University and the Southern Ontario All-Stars, winning the games by an average margin of more than 35 points.

As several well-known programs can attest, wins in exhibition games are not to be taken for granted.

Last season, Ohio State, a team that lost in the NCAA title game the previous season, fell to Findlay in an exhibition. Michigan State, who defeated Missouri in the CBE Classic and reached the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals, fell to Division II Grand Valley State in exhibition play.

Missouri has little time to get its seven newcomers accustomed to high-level competition. After an exhibition against Missouri Southern and the home opener against Prairie View A&M, Missouri will head to Puerto Rico for a tournament.

The tournament guarantees Missouri games against the reigning North Division champions of the Southern Conference (Chattanooga), the reigning Atlantic 10 champions, NCAA regional finalist (Xavier), and the winner of a game between Fairfield and Virginia Tech, teams that combined for 33 wins last season.

In addition, the tournament field includes USC, an NCAA Tournament No. 6 seed last season, Seton Hall, a perennial Big East threat, and Memphis, who was nine seconds away from the national championship against Kansas in last season's NCAA title game.

Despite a strong field awaiting Missouri in Puerto Rico, Missouri's players know they can't afford to look ahead.

"You know, Puerto Rico is going to be a very good tournament," Tiller said, grinning. "But at the same time, we can't overlook anybody because we still have a lot of work to do."