Missouri started off its Big 12 season with a bang, running Oklahoma out of Mizzou Arena 87-49 on Tuesday.
Now, the Tigers get their biggest test of the season. Missouri heads to Manhattan, Kan., to meet No. 22 Kansas State on Saturday.
During their undefeated start to the season, the Tigers (14-0, 1-0 Big 12) have had one true road game. On Dec. 30, Missouri trailed Old Dominion with under three minutes remaining before pulling away for a 75-68 win.
Old Dominion, however, isn't the Wildcats (11-1, 0-0). The Monarchs are a .500 team, whereas Kansas State's lone loss came in double overtime to West Virginia on Dec. 8. Wildcats coach Frank Martin plays eight players between 19 and 29 minutes a game.
Missouri, on the other hand, uses a seven-man rotation in which six of those players see over 24 minutes of action a game. Three Missouri players average over 30 minutes a game.
It will be a common theme throughout Big 12 play, but depth will be a big issue Saturday. Despite that disadvantage, Missouri coach Frank Haith said he wants his team to remain even-keeled.
"I want our guys to relax," Haith said after the win Tuesday. "I say that every game, 'Relax and enjoy yourself, enjoy the moment.' We have great leadership, and this team has been through it. I mean, if you have good players, it makes our job easy."
What Missouri lacks in depth, however, it more than makes up for in quality. The Tigers boast four scorers who average more than 12 points a game. The Wildcats' leading scorer is guard Will Spradling, who averages 12.5 points.
For the conference season, it will be quality versus quantity for Missouri. After his team was dismantled by the Tigers on Tuesday, Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said there's plenty of quality to like about Missouri.
"They trust each other and have confidence in each other to make plays," Kruger said. "All coaches would like to see that in their teams."
ON THE SPOT: Already, Missouri was a short team with a short bench. However, on Tuesday, the Tigers became shorter in both senses. F Kadeem Green, a 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman post player, announced he would transfer from Missouri, effective immediately. Green played sparingly in the non-conference season, totaling 115 minutes over 13 games. His best game came against William & Mary, when he played 16 minutes and had eight points and six rebounds. Although he wasn't a key cog in Missouri's rotation, the Tigers now must rely on walk-on forward Andy Rosburg and former football tight end Andrew Jones if Ricardo Ratliffe and Steve Moore find themselves in foul trouble.
--Despite an ever-present size disadvantage, Missouri outrebounded Oklahoma 20-12 in the first half and finished the game with a 37-19 advantage. The Sooners were fourth in the nation in rebounds entering Tuesday.
--The key reason Missouri sailed unbeaten through the nonconference portion of its schedule was identified by the coach of the Tigers' last victim.
"That experience, there's no substitute for it," Old Dominion coach Blaine Taylor said.
"They're certainly a team that's been through the paces."
Old Dominion actually battled Missouri to the wire before the Tigers survived a 75-68 scare on the road. The win pushed Missouri to 13-0, the first time it escaped nonconference play unscathed since 1972-73.
The ending involved the first true road test of the season for the Tigers, who went 2-7 in road games last season. They struggled with the hostile surroundings at first, but senior forward Ricardo Ratliffe provided a double-double and junior guard Marcus Denmon ended a two-game funk with big shots in the second half.
How long the perfect string of success continues depends on just how well the relatively small Tigers can cope underneath. Ratliffe is a key performer, and he must become a warrior who plays extended minutes, but guards such as Kim English must also play bigger than his size.
The good news is when the Tigers rebound adequately, they can move the ball with precision few other Big 12 teams can match. Their backcourt, led by Denmon, though incredibly deep, is good at minimizing board work by creating turnovers.
Still, the Tigers' start rates as the biggest surprise in the Big 12 during nonconference play. Most of the talent that contributes was assembled by Missouri's previous coach, Mike Anderson. Frank Haith left Miami, took over, and found ways to capitalize on the Tigers' defensive fortitude while also settling them down into smoother halfcourt sets.
--The biggest shot of the game for Missouri in its Dec. 30 win against Old Dominion looked ill-advised when it was released. The game was tied and inside the final minute when the Tigers came downcourt and G Marcus Denmon was spotted in the corner. Rather than work some clock, Denmon immediately fired a 3-pointer he canned to give Missouri an edge it built into a 75-68 road victory. When asked about his star's shot selection, coach Frank Haith simply smiled. "What do you want me to say? I don't know if I'd say that if he didn't make it, but I have a lot of confidence in Marcus." Denmon's confidence was not derailed, either. He went just 5-for-20 in the previous two games and was 1-for-6 in the first half at Old Dominion before catching fire after the break.
--The trip to Norfolk, Va., for the game at Old Dominion was a homecoming of sorts for F Ricardo Ratliffe. He grew up in nearby Hampton. Several friends and family members sat behind the Missouri bench and offered support among the otherwise hostile crowd of 8,460. Ratliffe responded with a double-double, collecting 14 points and 11 rebounds.
--Perhaps the most disturbing development for Missouri in the victory at Old Dominion was proof that the Tigers can go through cold spells shooting the ball. They entered the game ranked second nationally, shooting almost 52 percent on average, yet started the game 12-for-27 in the first half while also missing 7 of 15 free throws and getting outrebounded, 20-15.
BY THE NUMBERS: 4 -- Division I teams left in the unbeaten club at the end of the 2011 calendar year. Missouri was one of them, along with Big 12 rival Baylor.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We understand that as long as you stick with it and be tough on the road, shots will eventually fall." -- Missouri G Marcus Denmon.
