Men's basketball halfway through a tough eight days

Missouri travels to Iowa State before playing Kansas on Monday.

By Lenny Goldman

Published Feb. 5, 2009

On Saturday the Missouri Tigers began a stretch of games unlike any so far this season -- four conference battles in eight days, including two on the road.

The Tigers have fared well, defeating Baylor 89-72 at home and then upsetting No. 16 Texas on Wednesday in Austin, 69-65.

This weekend, Missouri will travel to Iowa State for a 5 p.m. tipoff at the Hilton Coliseum, a place not friendly to the Tigers, and on Monday night the brutal stretch will conclude in style with the most anticipated home game of the season against Kansas.

Sure, there are tough Big 12 games every season, but this is the first time the majority of the Tigers have experienced it, as first-year Tigers fill seven of the 13 roster spots.

For guidance, the newbies must look up to the few veterans who have had to grind it out before.

"They don't let us slack in practice at all," freshman guard Kim English said. "Every day, every practice it's all about defensive intensity. If we just take our nervous energy on the road and carry that into defense, we'll be fine."

Not only has English noticed a change in the intensity at practice, but he's seen the older players become more vocal off the court.

"Before this they just kind of laid-back and settled, thinking that we'd find our way," English said. "But we've had seven guys that have never played in Texas. Now they let us know. Leo's (Lyons) been to Texas, Matt's (Lawrence) been to Texas. They let us know what it's like on the road. "

The veterans gave them a pretty good clue as the Tigers traveled to Austin and handed the Longhorns their second consecutive home loss. After Missouri beat Baylor Saturday evening, the players quickly heard that Kansas State had just defeated Texas at home.

"We heard about the loss," said Lyons, a senior. "That just shows the unpredictability of the Big 12 and how good everybody is. We can go in there thinking we can win after a win like that."

With that mindset, the veterans were able to lead the Tigers on Wednesday when they played Texas. Seniors J.T. Tiller, DeMarre Carroll and Lyons all scored double digits, and junior Zaire Taylor led the team with 17 points, including the game-winner with 5.5 seconds left on the clock.

"Like coach said, 'true leaders step up in adversity,'" Carroll said. "It's going to be a great game for us in a big-time arena like big-time fans."

While the veterans took charge against Texas, the freshmen struggled to contribute much offensively as guard Marcus Denmon led the pack with five points.

"We just plan on having fun," English said. "We're 18-20 years old. As long as we're just playing with a defensive mentality everyday, we'll be fine."