COLUMBIA, Mo. — Marcus Denmon dribbled out the
closing seconds, and Missouri coach Frank Haith stood nearby clapping to end an
imperfect victory that, on Saturday afternoon, served as further proof that
this Tigers season will include blemish.
As expected, second-ranked Missouri beat struggling Texas Tech 63-50 at Mizzou
Arena, its 12th consecutive victory at home. As expected, the Tigers improved
to 6-2 in Big 12 play, leaving them tied with Baylor for second place and one
game behind Kansas.
With little surprise, Haith praised his team's response
after losing to Oklahoma State on Wednesday by saying, "I thought the game
today, we played Big 12 basketball. It was a hard-fought Big 12 game."
The game Saturday was contested — perhaps more than expected given Texas Tech's
stature as the lone Big 12 team without a conference win at 0-7 before tipoff —
but the fact that the Red Raiders were as close as seven points with a little
more than two minutes left said more about Missouri than its hapless opponent.
Life in the Big 12, the Tigers have learned, can be unforgiving. The manner in
which they brushed aside non-conference opponents with ease likely won't be
repeated as a conference title and top seeding in the NCAA Tournament become
more possible.
Rather than routs with flash, Missouri's late-season victories will resemble
the one earned Saturday gained through grit. To Haith, the evolution is no
surprise.
"We've got a long way to go," he said. "We would not play
flawless basketball all year. We're coming off a loss, so you knew this game
was going to be a tough game. But we won, so that's a great thing for us as we
move forward to Monday night (against Texas)."
On Saturday, Haith's team was far from flawless. The Tigers shot 39.6 percent
from the floor. They were outrebounded 31-27 by a squad that arrived in
Columbia as ninth in the Big 12 in rebounding margin. Until they scored six consecutive
points in the final 2:18, the Tigers allowed the Red Raiders to carry a slim
belief — but a belief nonetheless — that an upset could happen.
Still, Haith saw signs of growth despite the imperfections. He was pleased with
how his team adjusted to the Red Raiders' plan of limiting senior forward
Ricardo Ratliffe, who finished with eight points and was held to fewer than 10
for the second time this season. He was pleased with the play of senior guard
Kim English, who had a game-high 22 — his best production in three weeks. Haith
also was pleased with how Denmon, a senior guard, fought through a 4-of-15
shooting performance to finish with 19 points.
"Good teams," Denmon said, "find a way to win."
There is no denying Missouri is one of the Big 12's best. If a road victory
over then-No. 3 Baylor last Saturday was the Tigers' highlight to this point
and the loss to Oklahoma State was them at their worst, a victory over Texas
Tech meant Missouri did what it must do to keep pace among the Big 12's elite:
Defend home court, steal road victories and hope the top of the standings swing
in their favor.
On Saturday, the Tigers gained ground by meeting that standard. Iowa State
handed No. 5 Kansas its first Big 12 loss, beating the Jayhawks 72-64 at Hilton
Coliseum.
But can the Tigers stand atop the Big 12 at season's end? Missouri proved in
beating Baylor that its lack of height — the Tigers have no player taller than
6-foot-9 senior center Steve Moore — can be overcome with speed and smart
court positioning.
Yet, earlier, during a 16-point loss g on Jan. 7, Kansas State revealed size
and strength sometimes do matter. Tight defense forced Tigers guards into
rushed passes along the perimeter and Missouri provided little challenge once
it struggled from 3-point range.
"I think we're in good shape," Haith said. "You look at what
we've already done — we went on the road and won some games on the road. We've
protected our home court. That's the formula. You want to steal some games on
the road, and you want to protect your home court. We've done that the first
half of the year."
The upcoming week will offer a chance to see if the trend continues. Haith will
meet his mentor, Rick Barnes, on Monday in Austin with a chance to sweep the
young Longhorns. Next Saturday, the Jayhawks visit Mizzou Arena in what could
be a matchup between top-10 teams.
Against Texas Tech, though, Missouri's victory was far from perfect. But Red
Raiders coach Billy Gillispie walked off the court impressed and considered the
Tigers worthy of their No. 2 ranking.
"They've got a very, very good team," he said when asked if the Tigers
played up to their ranking. "They've got good players at every single
position. They've got some guys off the bench who can play. They complement
each other well. ... And it's not inconsistent — they've very consistent with
their play. ...
“You say, ‘Well, they're too small.' They're not too small,
because you have to guard them on the other end. They do a good job of covering
each other defensively."
On Saturday, the Tigers did the job necessary to beat an inferior opponent.
They have evolved, using grit rather than flash.
