Wow. That’s the only word you can describe Mizzou as they pummeled each opponent they faced in the Big 12 tournament.
They almost effortlessly beat Oklahoma State by 18, Texas by 14, and Baylor by 15 in the Big 12 championship game to cap off an amazing school-record 30 wins before the NCAA tournament.
Similar to Mizzou’s 2009 season in which they made an Elite-8 run, Mizzou got hot at the end of the season, blowing out opponents in the Big 12 tournament and getting on the right track heading to the NCAA tourney. Â Let’s match up the similarities of these two seasons to see if it gives any indication if Mizzou can accomplish as much and hopefully much more than their run in 2009.
- Both seasons Mizzou went 12-4 in the regular season (finishing in 2nd place)
- In 2009 and 2012 the Tigers went 1-1 against top seed Kansas with each team defending their home court
- In both Big 12 tournaments, Kansas was upset by Baylor allowing the Tigers to avoid playing the Jayhawks a third time at neutral site
- And finally Mizzou finished both tournaments on a high note by defeating Baylor handedly (13 points in ’09) to claim the Big 12 Championship
Sure, you might say that, “Oh, this 2009 team isn’t the 2012 team!â€Â Well, you could have fooled me. Was it not Kim English who as a freshman in ’09 made two clutch free throws to defeat Marquette in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament while scoring 17 points in the process? Was it not Marcus Denmon who heaved a successful three-quarters length shot at the end of half time against Memphis, which put the Tigers up ahead by 13 en route to an upset victory in the sweet 16? Both English and Denmon have progressed dramatically both on offense and defense their four years at Missouri.  English is hitting 53% of his shots this year compared to 37% last year and Denmon is hitting 90% of his free throws as opposed to 76% in 2011.
Part of the reason why Mizzou has been so successful this year is their experience. In their 7-man rotation, five of the players are seniors followed by sophomore point guard Phil Pressey and fellow junior guard Michael Dixon. This experience has allowed them to both physically and mentally dominate opponents in the final 2 minutes of the game.
This array of dominance was shown in narrow road victories at Iowa State, at Texas, home versus Kansas, and away at Baylor. Under last year’s team coached by then Mizzou coach Mike Anderson, these games most likely would have been all loses considering the fact that in 2011 the Tigers won only one road game in the Big 12. That’s the difference between going 30-4 and 26-8 before the NCAA tournament.
In more perspective, that’s the difference between being a most-likely 2 seed and being a 6 seed in the tournament. The 2 seed most likely makes it to the elite-8 while the 6 seed is lucky to even make it past the second round.
However, even a team that has as much experience as the Tigers, doesn’t always close out games the way they’d like to. With a late-game collapse at Oklahoma State and a blown 19-point in Lawrence, Mizzou dropped two games that were in the palms of their hands. But, as always, there is no team in the country that learns better after a loss than the Tigers do.
With every loss that Mizzou suffered, they bounce right back. And here we are, even after blowing the Big 12 title by losing to Kansas late in the season and dropping a second egg against Kansas State, Mizzou have now crowned themselves Big 12 tournament champions. It was only fitting as they embark onto the SEC next season as the Mizzou fanbase was chanting, “S-E-C! S-E-C!†in the closing seconds in their victory over Baylor.
Sure, everyone might assume that Kentucky is going to win it all this year, but you shouldn’t be so sure. Kentucky is one of the elite programs in the country that unfortunately lose many of their top players to the NBA draft after their freshman year.
In 2010, Kentucky boasted a team of John Wall and Demarcus Cousins (whom later opted for the NBA draft following the season) and was the number one team in the country until they were upset in the Elite-8 by West Virginia. You cannot tell me that the fact that a bunch of freshman leading Kentucky played no outcome in that game.
Experience counts the most in March Madness. Fact.
Later today, a selection committee filled with ACC, Big Ten, and Big East bias will determine the seeds for the NCAA tournament. Don’t expect any love for Mizzou. Hopefully, they’ll get the 2 seed in the Midwest so they’ll have home court advantage in St. Louis for the Sweet 16 and Elite-8.
Although sports “analysts’†hardly give Mizzou any of the credit they deserved this season doesn’t make them any less of a dominant team.
Kentucky, Duke, Ohio State, Syracuse, Michigan State, and North Carolina fans should be praying they aren’t in the same bracket as Mizzou because when Kim English and Marcus Denmon are draining three’s, the Tigers are the best team in the nation. Mizzou has the experience than can and will take them to the Final Four.
