Missouri could have easily folded under the deafening noise of the loudest opposing crowd the Tigers may ever hear.
It can even be argued the Tigers did crack, surrendering a 19-point lead before losing 87-86 in overtime at Kansas on Feb. 25. The loss, in all likelihood, ended any shot for Missouri to gain even a share of the Big 12 title, as it fell to 25-4 overall and 12-4 in the conference.
The Tigers are competing in the Big 12 for the last time. That was the reason for the intense dislike they confronted in what is expected to be Missouri's final visit to Allen Fieldhouse for some time, if not forever.
Yet the hostilities, or even the history, of this longstanding rivalry, which dates to 1907 and grouped the two teams in the same conference ever since they joined the Missouri Valley in 1908, did not weigh that heavily on the experienced Tigers.
"Atmosphere had nothing to do with it," claimed senior guard Kim English. "It was a game we lost, a game we fought very hard to win, but this loss doesn't define our season. We really wanted to win the league, and we came out and fought hard. We just weren't fortunate enough to come out with the win."
What Missouri did come away with was a sense it regained its form, which it did not display in a surprising loss at home on Feb. 21 against Kansas State. The 78-68 defeat obviously intensified the resolve the Tigers took into the game at Kansas, which they were unable to win after a last-second shot in regulation was rejected and another last-second opportunity never even resulted in a shot attempt to close the overtime.
The Tigers left thinking they should have won. Just like earlier in the season, the Jayhawks left Columbia thinking they gave away a win.
"We came in here and competed, and it went down to the wire," Missouri coach Frank Haith said. "We had every chance to win the game and probably should have won the game."
Since the Tigers did not, however, and were coming off the loss to Kansas State, they find themselves in a losing streak for the first time all season. In all likelihood, they will snap out of it, though the challenge presented on Senior Night by Iowa State on Feb. 29 will be formidable.
Still, Missouri showed it has the tools and the talent to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The lead it let slip against Kansas wasn't as much a product of the Tigers' mistakes as much as it was a result of the Jayhawks' resolve.
With the 87-86 overtime defeat at Kansas came one more round of debates whether the longtime rivalry should be continued with Missouri moving into the SEC next season. Missouri's administrators want to continue the rivalry in all sports, while Kansas' administrators adopted a hard-line stance against scheduling the Tigers. Do not look for Kansas to budge on that anytime soon, though Frank Haith attempted to make his plea after his first, and perhaps only, visit to Lawrence as Missouri's coach. "This maybe is the last time we play. I think that would be sad," Haith said. "You saw the atmosphere out there and the atmosphere at our place. It'd be sad if we don't play. I just don't understand it."
In spite of the scheduling differences, a prospect still exists for one last rematch in the finals of the Big 12 tournament, which Kansas and Missouri will likely enter as the No. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively. Still, that possibility was too far in the future, and the sting of the loss to the Jayhawks was too painful for the Tigers to dwell on a rubber match. "I don't care if we play Fort Hays State to win the Big 12 tournament," G Kim English said. "We want to win three games and win the Big 12 tournament." Missouri can clinch the No. 2 seed by beating Iowa State on Feb. 29.
Haith probably did not tread over the line with comments he made regarding the officiating in the Kansas defeat, though he did wonder if his team was treated fairly down the stretch. At one point he had a stern conversation with one of the officials, then explained his concerns. "I was just hopeful we could get the same contact calls on both ends," Haith said. "If there's going to be a no-call, then there should be no-calls on the other end. That's the only thing I have conversations with officials about. Contact is part of the game." The Tigers were called for 22 fouls to 16 on the Jayhawks. Kansas used the discrepancy to gain a 22-15 advantage in free throws made.
Consecutive defeats Missouri suffered at Kansas, dating to a 1999 victory. The Tigers trail 172-95 in the all-time series.
"We have played pretty good all year. This team has been pretty resilient. I thought our defense was good in the first half (at Kansas). I thought we executed. Looking at the numbers, we made more field goals and outrebounded them. I thought we played pretty well, there is no question about that." -- Missouri coach Frank Haith, after the Tigers' loss to Kansas.
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
KEY MATCHUPS: Contending with F Royce White is a primary objective, though the sophomore transfer from Minnesota is effective when not scoring. He sees the floor and passes the ball exceptionally well for a big man, leading the Cyclones in assists. Firepower exists along the perimeter, which makes the matchup with Missouri intriguing since the Tigers are also good offensively. G Chris Allen, a Michigan State transfer, is finishing strong as a senior.
KEY MATCHUPS: The Tigers drew a nice season-ender from the conference they are leaving. Texas Tech is young and also not skilled enough to compete with better Big 12 teams. Missouri did, however, have difficulties pushing the tempo in the first matchup, which it won 63-50 at home on Jan. 28. F Jordan Tolbert has been solid for the Red Raiders, though they've lacked consistency among scorers.
Sometimes it seems as if Missouri settles for long-range jumpers. First-year coach Frank Haith even mentioned that tendency following a Feb. 21 loss to Kansas State, when the Tigers were looking for a "five-point play" to rally, yet missed their last nine 3-point attempts. Still, as good as Missouri clicks with an offense that shoots the second-best percentage in the country, it's only natural, and acceptable, that bombers fire away. It works more often than not, particularly if the guards involve F Ricardo Ratliffe in the attack while recognizing how open he gets underneath because of good spacing.
Junior G Mike Dixon led Missouri with 21 points off the bench against Kansas State, then followed with 17 points at Kansas, though he went just 6-for-15 and failed to pass the ball in time to get a shot off at the end of overtime.
Senior G Marcus Denmon led Missouri with 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting at Kansas, going 6-for-10 from 3-point range. It was the 12th time Denmon led the Tigers in scoring.
Senior F Ricardo Ratliffe recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds against Kansas.
