Tigers crowned Big 12 Tournament champions
The conference championship is Missouri's first since joining the Big 12.
Published March 16, 2009
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Freshman guard Kim English yells with excitement as he loads up on gear following Saturday's championship game against Baylor at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. The Tigers defeated the Bears 73-60 to win their first Big 12 title.
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Junior guard Zaire Taylor throws an elbow into the face of Baylor sophomore guard LaceDarius Dunn during Saturday's championship game at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Taylor had nine points and five rebounds for the Tigers.
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Senior forward DeMarre Carroll gets a shot off under heavy defense from Baylor senior forward Kevin Rogers and senior center Mamadou Diene during Saturday's championship game at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Carroll led the Tigers with 20 points.
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Junior forward Keith Ramsey is held back by Baylor senior forward Kevin Rogers during Saturday's championship game at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
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Confetti flies above the Ford Center floor as MU players celebrate the Tigers' first Big 12 Championship after Saturday's game.
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Senior forwards Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll carried the Tigers over the Bears on Jan. 31 at Mizzou Arena with 30 and 25 points, respectively. The teams will face off again tonight for the Big 12 title game.
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Missouri freshman guard Kim English passes the ball around Baylor senior center Mamadou Diene during the first half of Saturday's championship game at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
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Baylor players celebrate after catching up to Texas during Friday's semifinal game. The Bears went on to upset the Longhorns 76-70, becoming the only ninth seed to ever advance to the Big 12 Championship final.
OKLAHOMA CITY -- All season long, Missouri coach Mike Anderson has said his team was going to be on the hunt for something, they just didn't know what. The goal of that hunt finally became crystal clear Saturday night -- a Big 12 Championship.
The hunt concluded with Missouri taking home its crystal prize, the 2009 Big 12 Tournament championship trophy, after a 73-60 victory against the No. 9 Baylor Bears at the Ford Center.
As recently as November, Missouri faced questions about its youth, its trouble with the law the previous season and about the future of coach Mike Anderson. The Tigers are now the No. 3 seed in the west region of the NCAA Tournament.
"I told these guys they could have a special season," Anderson said. "And it continues."
The conference championship is Missouri's first since joining the Big 12 and first since the Tigers won the Big 8 Conference tournament in 1993.
With the final seconds of the game ticking down, senior forward Matt Lawrence hurled the ball into the air in celebration as confetti cannons fired. Players hugged one another and got Big 12 Champions T-shirts and freshman guard Kim English sprinted to high five Missouri radio announcers Mike Kelly and Gary Link.
All year long and after the Baylor win, Missouri players and coaches called this Tiger squad "the ultimate team," a band of unselfish players who could all step up on any given night. This was on display Saturday, as Missouri's five starters each contributed in their own particular way.
DeMarre Carroll finished with 20 points and nine rebounds en route to being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Zaire Taylor, who was also named to the All-Tournament Team, had four assists and a couple of huge early buckets with Missouri struggling from the field.
The contributions go on down the line. Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year J.T. Tiller helped slow a potent Baylor offense. Senior forward Leo Lyons came up with big jumpers in the second half to keep Baylor at a distance. Lawrence went 3-for-6 from 3-point range.
Carroll, Lyons and Lawrence are all members of an embattled senior class whose tenure at Missouri has been marked by stark highs and lows.
"It's definitely been a roller coaster ride, and credit goes out to the guys on our team that all came in here and were all about one thing: winning," Lawrence said. "That reflects our coach. Coach Anderson's been nothing but honest with us, saying that he's going to bring a championship to the school."
It was the collective effort of the "ultimate team" that helped Missouri outscore Baylor 36-27 in the second half.
As huge of an accomplishment as the Big 12 title is for Missouri, when addressing the crowd on the trophy podium, Anderson refused to lose perspective.
"We're just getting started," Anderson said.