It was on a Wednesday night, but when you’re in college,
every night is a weekend. It was quite a trip, and the memories remain vivid.
Bud Walton Arena was big and hot. Someone trotted around the court with an
“Arkansas Fans Are Standing” sign. The crowd did that eerie “call the hogs”
cheer.
It was a close game. Missouri’s Stefhon Hannah was hot in
the first half, but cooled off in the second. Missouri fought to within three
with just a few seconds to go. The Tigers had an in-bounds play that achieved
train-wreck status, ending in forward Darryl Butterfield awkwardly heaving a
potential game-tying shot at the rim. It missed.
On Saturday the Tigers (18-6, 7-4 in SEC play) travel again to Arkansas (15-9, 6-5 in SEC), this time for an SEC game
(3 p.m. on ESPN). I plan to be there again, and I keep thinking about all that
has changed since then.
At the time, Missouri had the No. 1 college football team in
the country; now it’s coming off a losing season. That Missouri basketball team
wasn’t especially good and is most remembered for the Club Athena fiasco; this
year’s team is well positioned for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Biggest of all, Mike Anderson coached the Tigers in that
last meeting, but he left Missouri to coach Arkansas, where he was an assistant
for several years under Nolan Richardson.
That last tidbit adds some spice to Saturday’s game, as
Missouri still has two players whom Anderson coached. I don’t begrudge Anderson
for going back to a familiar place where he was a part of great success, and he
did a good job building Missouri back up from the crater that was the end of
Quin Snyder’s tenure.
But I like there being a little edge for this game. I’m a
big proponent of sportsmanship, but I’m ready to see Missouri’s love-fest with
other SEC teams pass. Last Saturday, Missouri showed that edge and intensity in
a 98-79 win over Ole Miss (18-6, 7-4 in SEC).
The Tigers now need to show they can take that kind of
performance on the road. Missouri lost its first four SEC road games and five
road games overall, including last Thursday’s painful loss at middling-at-best
Texas A&M.
Arkansas is also great at home (13-1 at Bud Walton this
season) and poor on the road. Last week they shattered Florida’s aura of SEC
invincibility with a big win in Fayetteville, they went on the road and lost to
lowly Vanderbilt. B.J. Young leads the Hogs in scoring, and big man Hunter
Mickelson is an intriguing player with some shooting touch.
Given both teams’ home-road splits, Arkansas would seem to
have the edge. But if the Tigers can show some intensity and maturity, and
avoid another big early deficit on the road, they have a shot. Easier said than
done, but it would be big win if they can get it.
No comments:
Post a Comment