Column: What Missouri can learn from KU
Published March 9, 2010
On Saturday, I witnessed a perennial powerhouse basketball program put one of its best teams ever on the floor of Mizzou Arena.
Kansas has literally run away from the Big 12 field this year, in a season in which the conference boasts the best RPI. How is Kansas able to do it? Why is Missouri not able to do it?
Coach Mike Anderson's "Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball" has flummoxed every team Missouri has played this year except Kansas. The system clearly works because its uniqueness, predicated on a full-court pressure defense, allows the Tigers to use their depth and wear down opponents. The only difference with Kansas (and not Syracuse, for example) is the Jayhawks have a senior guard, Sherron Collins, who can back up a junior center, Cole Aldrich and a sophomore center, Markieff Morris, who can replace an injured sophomore forward, Marcus Morris.
According to the scouting Web site Rivals.com, which ranks recruits on a 1 to 5 star scale, Kansas' lineup combines for 39 stars. Missouri has 29 stars. The Jayhawks are able to compile a team with the same athleticism as the Tigers, only with players averaging a few inches taller. Although Missouri can run away from teams of the same height, it's difficult to sustain any pressure against an opponent that takes away the frontcourt, placing more demands on the shooters to perform.
Last year, then-senior forwards 6-foot-8-inch DeMarre Carroll and 6-foot-9-inch Leo Lyons played to their height and brought a "junkyard dog" mentality to the paint, refusing to let Kansas or any other team step in their way. The lack of physicality on this year's team will be the biggest impediment for the Tigers to again reach the Elite Eight.
Human beings learn by imitation. Missouri must thoroughly examine Kansas' program to see how the Tigers can improve. This includes on the floor. Hopefully the assistant coaches were looking at the plays executed by the Jayhawks, storing them away for future reference. Playing Kansas allows teams to dream about what their own programs can become. But the Tigers actually have a chance to realize that dream.
Anderson is starting to install his system all with players he recruited. Next year, the Tigers add a top-15 recruiting class. And though I know this means very little, they replace two 3-star players and a 2-star player in the lineup with 5-, 4- and 3-star players. Tony Mitchell will toughen up the frontcourt, and Phil Pressey and Ricky Kreklow will bolster and perhaps add consistency to the backcourt.
Missouri returns 72 percent of its scoring. Don't forget this year's team needed to replace 49 percent of the points from last year after losing its top three scorers.
The biggest component to success is already shored up, if this past year displayed anything at all. Fan support has swelled Mizzou Arena's attendance. If the seats are filled, both for marquee and average matchups, Mizzou Arena becomes a fantastic place to play, providing excellent exposure to higher caliber recruits.
In the grand scheme of things, Saturday's game meant nothing. Missouri lost to a better team; it's how much the Tigers learned from the game that will be the difference for the rest of this season. The Tigers are safely in the NCAA Tournament field, and they'll have a chance to get to the second weekend again through good shooting and relatively easier competition.
Last year, Missouri got blown out in its last regular season game but then went on to win six in a row. And we all know how that played out.