Column:
Basketball is back
Victory against Kansas proves MU basketball is here to stay this season.
Published Feb. 12, 2009
Rivalries shape seasons. They shift focuses and set moods. Rivalries help define teams and personalities of universities across the nation. On Monday night in Columbia, the hated Kansas Jayhawks came to town to battle the Tigers under the lights of ESPN. The basketball was played beneath the aura of a full moon and ended with Missouri players, students and alumni feeling on top of the world.
The game itself was an emotional roller coaster, with the Tigers stuck in a perpetual state of trying to claw their way back within striking distance in the second half. After falling behind by 14 at the end of the first half, MU twice cut the KU lead to three before the Jayhawks were able to extend the deficit back to double digits. The Tigers seemed to be strapped into the Batman ride at Six Flags St. Louis, with its thrilling loop that drops stomachs yet ultimately ends up right back where it started (in this case, down too many points against too good of a team).
That, of course, did not end up being the case. Coach Mike Anderson's squad stifled the blue and red in the final eight minutes, allowing only one basket. Sherron Collins opened the door: the tired guard missed two crucial free throws down the stretch (Christian Moody anybody?). And Zaire Taylor closed it, knocking down the most beautiful ugly shot I've ever seen. His 12-footer with a second left hit every part of the rim before finally falling through.
Down went Kansas. Up went Missouri in the Big 12. Onto the court came the students decked out in gold from their disbelieving heads to their euphoric toes.
The atmosphere inside Mizzou Arena was electric. Each fan a conductor of the bellowing roar that lasted from the opening tip until the court was the clear and the stadium empty. For one night at least, there was no better place to be in college basketball.
So what exactly in the name of Norm Stewart happened inside that arena Monday night? The basketball gods took a break from their 10-year hiatus away from Columbia to announce to any remaining doubters:
Basketball is back.
Just three years removed from the Quin Snyder debacle, the Tigers stand at 21-4 overall, and 8-2 in the Big 12. That is good enough for a firm hold on third place in the conference, just half a game behind Kansas and two games behind Oklahoma. Anybody still wonder if Mike Anderson is the right man for the job?
Going into the 2008-2009 campaign, a successful season for MU would have been a bid to the NCAA tournament. They are no longer playing for a bid, they are playing for a seed. Wow.
Regardless of how they finish up the remainder of their schedule, this season will be one of progress. Roadblocks will come and it may take time for the team to conquer them. But judging by the heart these athletes showed Monday night, nothing is out of reach for the Tigers.
What makes Monday night so special is that the entire school was focused on this single event. The frustration of so many years of embarrassment needed to be released, and it needed to be released against Kansas. Everything was perfect. Rivalries shape seasons. They define universities.
Missouri 62. Kansas 60. Enjoy, Columbia.
