Congratulations to the Missouri Tigers for defeating Baylor in the Big 12 Championship game. Its hard to fathom that Mizzou holds this title only three years into the Mike Anderson regime. A world of credit goes to Anderson for helping the team climb out of the huge hole caused by former "coach" Quin Snyder. Anderson has developed a team that can win without shooting well, as evidenced by the semi-final game against Oklahoma State, thanks to its relentless "40 minutes of hell" defense. Yes, they were lucky to avoid Oklahoma and Kansas in the tourney. Yes, they slipped up when they played Goombas to Illinois's and Kansas's Mario in the regular season (Super Mario Bros. anyone?). But this team has the D to frustrate any team and the potential to go deep into the Big Dance.
As for the Oakville Tigers, they were bounced out of the semi-finals in the Missouri Class 5 state basketball tournament by Kansas City's Grandview High School. To hang tough with a one-loss Grandview team was an accomplishment. An even bigger accomplishment for OHS was making it to the final four; defeating the top team in the area on the way and putting Oakville in the spotlight. Senior Keith Pickens stepped up as usual, putting up 21 points and seven boards. While it wasn't enough to earn a championship bid for the Tigers, Pickens should have a bright future at Missouri State. And as with Mizzou, praises are due to the coach. Nick Traxler has toughened up the team in his few years here and has produced an over-achieving product this season of which the whole area can be proud.
WATCH OUT: NCAA Tournament Selection Show, Sunday @ 5 pm (central) on CBS
SONG YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT: "Sleepyhead" - Passion Pit. Think trippy indie-techno (if there is such a thing) mixed with the Chipmunks.
No comments:
Post a Comment