Missouri (22-10)
COACH: Mike Anderson, four years at Missouri, two in NCAA Tournament
HOW THEY GOT IN: At-large bid
MATCHUP BREAKDOWN: Missouri won the Big 12 conference tournament a year ago, using that success as a springboard to the Sweet 16. The Tigers lost to Nebraska in the first round of the 2010 conference tournament, but Anderson insists it will have its confident intact for the first-round game. Clemson has a horse in the paint in Trevor Booker, who is 6-foot-7 but has long arms and can control the glass on his own. That's not a good thing for Missouri, which is struggling in that area and also hasn't shot the ball well of late. The Tigers made just 36.4 percent of their attempts in their last four games, three of which resulted in losses. The percentage gets even worse from 3-point distance, where Missouri went 18-for-80 in the four games, a .225 percentage.
GO-TO GUYS: The lack of a real standout fits well into the frenetic style Anderson learned as an assistant under Nolan Richardson at Arkansas. But it also prevents Missouri from tapping into a go-to performer in clutch time. Sophomore G Kim English comes the closest to fitting the bill, and he is the future face of Mizzou hoops. He averages 14.1 points. The only other Tiger to produce in double figures is another sophomore, Laurence Bowers, who came off the bench most of the season and nets 10.1 on average. Others are capable of big games, and can make Missouri tough to guard.
THEY'LL KEEP WINNING IF: Their blistering defensive pressure causes problems. When Missouri is at its best, it dictates tempo with traps, resulting in steals and deflections. It averages 11 steals and 20 turnovers, leading the nation in both categories. When the Tigers are at their best, those stops generate run-outs that result in easy baskets. Defensive pressure in the half-court set is also good, with opponents shooting just 40 percent overall and 30 percent from 3-point range.
STRENGTHS: Many of Anderson's players have tournament experience. The ability to make opponents uncomfortable by exerting intense pressure defensively, using the kind of all-out, full-court trapping pressure few teams have seen, is a decided edge. Missouri isn't afraid to press, and in fact enjoys it, so opponents it faces in the NCAA tournament could be facing something that is somewhat unusual in this era. Senior G J.T. Tiller is a lockdown defender capable of taking out a top backcourt threat. The guards are all capable of handling the ball, and the Tigers aren't likely to hurt themselves with careless turnovers.
WEAKNESSES: Play in the Missouri frontcourt was spotty all season, then weakened even more after starting F Justin Safford was lost with a torn ACL. Depth underneath is thin, and requires starting bigs Keith Ramsey and Laurence Bowers to log the bulk of the minutes. Neither provides a consistent offensive threat. In addition, the Tigers struggle on the glass and possess a rebounding margin of minus-2.6.
