Mizzou has hired Kim Anderson -OR- Coach Anderson returns to Mizzou

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  1 minute ago
Texas A&M beats #Mizzou 62-50. Tigers (7-11, 1-4) have now lost four straight for first time since first 4 Big 12 games in 2007.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  1 minute ago

Kim Anderson on Mike Anderson: "I've known Mike for a long time. ... He did a great job here. Obviously, he's doing a great job down there."

Anderson: "Playing people close is not good. It's better than not playing people close. ... But we need to get over the hump."

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  3 hours ago
And from the blog: What to watch for when #Mizzou faces former Coach Mike Anderson and Arkansas at 1 p.m. Saturday http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/what-to-watch-for-arkansas/article_7275682c-9152-5e84-9ee5-40b74dcf413c.html ...

"Even in the games we've won, I've always kind of felt like our defense hasn't been where it was early in the year," Anderson said earlier this week, even before the Alabama victory. "We've got to get back to the fundamentals of guarding people and making people take difficult shots, keeping them out of the lane, keeping them off the boards.

"That's where prides got to come in at, and I think it's got to be a collective effort, not missing assignments."

The recent defensive efficiencies aside, the Razorbacks (3-2 in SEC play) still look formidable as Anderson gets set to return to Columbia for a 1 p.m. tip-off on Saturday at Mizzou Arena.

"I haven't watched him a lot the last three years, but from what everybody tells me, this is probably his best group since he went there," MU Coach Kim Anderson said on Friday.

Arkansas — 2-3 away from Bud Walton Arena this season but with road wins against top-50 RPI teams SMU and Georgia — is the highest scoring team in the SEC this season, averaging 83.5 points, eight more than second-place Kentucky. It is shooting 46.4 percent from the field, second only to the Wildcats...

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  38 minutes ago
Quick gamer: Tigers come up short in loss to Arkansas as Clark misses late free throws - Columbia Daily Tribune http://www.columbiatribune.com/sports/mu_basketball/tigers-come-up-short-in-loss-to-arkansas-as-clark/article_8db941fd-620c-5620-9ab4-5d5d306b621c.html ...

Mizzou's last losing streak of at least five games happened in 2005-06. The last win before it started was KU game with Moody's missed FTs

[jbcarol]

Gabe DeArmond @GabeDeArmond  ·  2 hours ago
FINAL STATS #Mizzou #Arkansas

[jbcarol]

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  2 hours ago
Anderson asked if Mizzou-Arkansas can become a good rivalry: "I guess. Isn't that our rivalry team? ... I guess it's a rivalry now."

[jbcarol]

SEC Sports @SEC  ·  17 hours ago
Arkansas escapes with win at Mizzou. Recap/Highlights: http://www.secsports.com/article/12217320/arkansas-escapes-narrow-win-mizzou ... #SEC

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  13 hours ago

Blog: Anderson looks ahead to Thursday's meeting with No. 1 Kentucky http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/anderson-looks-ahead-to-thursday-s-meeting-with-no-kentucky/article_d46e62e5-b869-59b5-bc07-54cf59cdba91.html ...

Kim Anderson spent his time on Monday's Southeastern Conference coaches' teleconference discussing the challenge of taking on No. 1 Kentucky again Thursday — barely two weeks after the Wildcats stomped the Tigers by 49 points — ...

"Saturday's game, I was extremely proud of our guys. We played well against Arkansas and put ourselves in a position to win and didn't get it done at the end, but I thought we played smart for the most part. We handled their pressure pretty well, turned the ball over seven or eight times but not a whole lot against their press, and I certainly think Arkansas' a really good team. They just bring so many weapons. We did a good job on Qualls and a decent job on Portis. Alandise Harris had a great game. I'm not really into moral victories, but I thought that we played well enough and put ourselves in an opportunity, with the opportunity to win."

On facing Kentucky a second time after such a lopsided loss ...

"When that game ended, we obviously did address it. We didn't prolong our discussion on it. I think that Kentucky is the best team in the country. They have so many weapons. They're extremely well-coached. They just don't have a whole lot of weaknesses. I think the thing that I'm going to try to do and talk to our guys about is, 'Hey, this is an opportunity to play the best, and they are coming to Columbia.' I know we're going to have a good crowd. We're going to prepare kind of like any other game. I just hope we prepare better and perform better than we did in Lexington..."

[jbcarol]

Austin Kim @AustinKKim  ·  5 minutes ago

Keith Shamburger, who rooms with Wes Clark, says "it brings tears to his eyes" when talking about Wes' pain after the Arkansas loss

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  19 hours ago

Melvin Booker told me he'd be at #Mizzou Arena tomorrow night wearing black, gold ... and blue to watch Tigers play Kentucky and son Devin.

Melvin Booker said he's watched every game Missouri has played this season. "I'm excited about what Coach A's doing," he said.

Melvin Booker on #Mizzou: "People don't realize how young they are. ... It's going to take time to get it going."

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  9 hours ago

Quick gamer: Wildcats too much for Tigers in the end - Columbia Daily Tribune http://www.columbiatribune.com/sports/mu_basketball/wildcats-too-much-for-tigers-in-the-end/article_96c94bfd-ae96-5101-ae54-dcc8852ad0d6.html ...

Kentucky is 20-0. Mizzou falls to 7-13, 1-6 in SEC play.

Kentucky hands Mizzou a 69-53 loss, Tigers' sixth straight defeat. UK went 27 for 37 from the free-throw line, 20 for 27 in second half.

Anderson was asked if he'd ever have a losing streak like this: "I probably did when I was at Baylor when I was an assistant."

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  3 minutes ago
#Mizzou loses to Ole Miss 67-47. It was the Tigers worst home loss since 77-56 against Kansas on March 6, 2010.

Tigers also have their first seven-game losing streak since the 1992-92 season.

[jbcarol]

Missouri freshman guard Tramaine Isabell didn't sit on the bench on Saturday as Missouri lost to Ole Miss at home for their seventh straight defeat.

According to Tigers head coach Kim Anderson, Isabell was suspended for the game. Anderson elaborated on Isabell to Tod Palmer of the Kansas City Star after the game.

"Before we start, I know some of you probably want to ask about Tramaine, so I'll make this statement right now then I don't really want to talk about him anymore," Anderson said on Saturday. "(I) withheld him today from competition due to his ongoing behavior on the court. His behavior toward our coaches and teammates at times has been unacceptable.

"It has nothing to do with his game, but just with his behavior and his attitude, and we'll re-evaluate the situation as time goes on. That's really all I want to say about that."

Isabell is averaging 4.5 points and 1.5 assists per game as a reserve guard for Missouri this season.

[jbcarol]

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  Jan 31

Refreshingly candid comment from Kim Anderson describing Isabell suspension. Most coaches wouldn't go there.

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  1 hour ago

Kim Anderson says there's no update as of today on freshman guard Tramaine Isabell who sat out Saturday for attitude/behavior issues

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  9 hours ago
Blog: Anderson talks about challenge of staying positive while still pushing Tigers http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/anderson-s-talks-about-challenge-of-staying-positive-while-still/article_15bef233-48f8-5c04-8e43-bb866f2390ec.html ...

Frustration is mounting inside the Missouri basketball program with the Tigers riding a seven-game losing streak. Coach Kim Anderson talked about the need to stay positive and keep pushing ahead during Monday's Southeastern Conference coaches' teleconference. Here's a transcript: (at link above)

Anderson: "Nobody wants to lose seven in a row. This school has a very good basketball tradition."

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  2 hours ago
Blog: Anderson's first season has been tougher than he expected (and other notes) http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/anderson-s-first-season-tougher-than-he-expected-and-other/article_27e5f243-bfe7-51f2-bbfe-cab23976f10f.html ...

Kim Anderson had his eyes open when he took over a Missouri basketball program that was losing more than 70 percent of its scoring from last season and returned only two upperclassmen—Ryan Rosburg and Keanau Post—who'd logged any minutes in a Tigers' uniform.

"I knew this would be difficult," he said during his weekly media briefing on Tuesday morning.

That's not to say he was prepared for how things have played out over the first three months of his first season. Missouri owns the worst record in the Southeastern Conference and will be hoping to snap a seven-game losing streak when it travels to Alabama for an 8 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday night.

"I don't think anybody would want to say, 'Yeah, after 21 games, I'm planning on being 7-14 or losing seven in a row,'" he said. "I knew this was going to be a challenge. OK, now would I like for it to be better? Yes, I would. But all I can do is just keep working, getting up, trying to help, trying to get better."

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  3 hours ago

Blog: What to watch for when #Mizzou visits Alabama at 8 pm Wednesday http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/what-to-watch-for-alabama/article_eff1b3d2-37dc-5a88-9bcd-0a54399fd90b.html ...

Crimson Tide (13-8, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) have endured their own difficult stretch, losing five of their last six games, including two of their last three games at Coleman Coliseum after starting the season 10-0 at home.

But the recent struggles might be a little misleading because two of the losses came at the hands of top-ranked Kentucky — an opponent that's been too much for every team in college basketball this season — while the other three defeats have come by only two points each.

"I know they have some guys back from last year, have played a lot better," MU Coach Kim Anderson said of Alabama, which is holding opponents to 61.2 points in SEC play and shooting a league-best 44.8 percent from the field.

Levi Randolph has taken on the mantle of being the Crimson Tide's top player with All-SEC guard Trevor Releford no longer around, and he's averaging a team-high 14.6 points and provided a steadying presence.

"Levi's the guy for us I think has had a really good year not only from the standpoint of being a go-to guy but just the way he's led our team," Alabama Coach Anthony Grant said on Monday's SEC coaches' teleconference. "He's our team captain. He's that voice that ... all teams need, especially as you go through the rigors of an SEC schedule and the ups and downs."

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  6 seconds ago
#Mizzou loses to Alabama 62-49. It is Tigers' eighth straight loss, the longest streak since Anderson's freshman year in 1973-74.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  8 hours ago

ICYMI: Offense stalls again as Missouri's losing streak reaches eight - Columbia Daily Tribune http://m.columbiatribune.com/sports/mu_basketball/offense-stalls-again-as-missouri-s-losing-streak-reaches-eight/article_58c22138-5c1a-5e31-8152-72a8853b3a44.html ...

The Missouri basketball team hasn't stopped searching for ways to generate more offense.

But the Tigers aren't finding solutions.

Missouri defended well enough to hang around Wednesday night against Alabama, never letting the Crimson Tide pull ahead by more than 10 points until the final minute. But it couldn't score enough to make a run at the home team down the stretch in a 62-49 defeat at Coleman Coliseum.

"We had a lot of open shots and couldn't knock them down," Coach Kim Anderson said. "That's been kind of our story lately."

Missouri connected on only 18 of 56 field-goal attempts — including seven of its final 29 — after briefly taking a 27-26 lead on Namon Wright's 3-pointer with 18:50 left. The team failed to reach 50 points for the second straight game.

The Tigers (7-15, 1-8 SEC) have topped 53 only once in the past seven games and have lost eight in a row for the first time since the 1973-74 season, Anderson's first as a Missouri player...

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  2 hours ago

Here's a recap of this week's Courtside View live chat. Thanks to all who submitted questions. http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/courtside-view-live-chat-at-a-m-friday/article_197916b2-ae06-11e4-b1cb-5fd86ea5c260.html ...

What is Kim's vision for the style his team will embrace in future years?

I think he'd like Missouri to be a team that plays aggressive man-to-man defense, that plays inside-out on offense and has multiple guards who can handle the ball, keep it moving and make plays. That was what Central Missouri was last season when it won the Division II national championship. The Tigers are just a long way from resembling that. They need to get better defensively, especially guarding the ball and stopping dribble penetration. They need to get another big guy who is a consistent threat in the post, and they need more shooters who can take advantage when defenses sage around the paint...

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  2 hours ago
From the blog: What to watch for when #Mizzou takes on Texas A&M at 5 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/what-to-watch-for-texas-a-m/article_652b3ed8-c7e3-5cb3-b1cd-4020921d12c0.html ...

Kim Anderson seems to repeat himself a lot these days with his Missouri basketball team seemingly plagued by the same maladies again and again during an eight-game losing streak, the program's first since Anderson's freshman season as a player in 1973-74.

He's talked about the need to play more north and south, the need to take advantage of open shots and the need to figure out a way to get the free-throw line with his team failing to top 60 points since an 85-79 loss at Auburn on Jan. 10.

Often at the end of one of his postgame press conferences, he repeats the same hopeful message, as he did again on Wednesday night at Alabama.

"We've just got to keep grinding," he said again after a 62-49 loss to the Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

But one wonders if the Tigers haven't been grinding so much with so little payoff over the past month that they've worn themselves out. Can they keep doing it?

"It's the toughest thing in the world to push through," freshman Montaque Gill-Caesar said after Wednesday's latest disappointment. "Nobody likes losing."

Saturday's 5 p.m. game against Texas A&M at Mizzou Arena is probably as good a game as any to gauge if the Missouri players still are psychologically at a place where they can keep plugging away.

It was only 2½ weeks ago that the same two teams met in College Station, Texas, and the Tigers opened with one of their most inspired starts of the season, grabbing an early five-point lead, surviving a pair of all too typical offensive lulls and closing the half on a 10-2 run to take a 31-24 advantage into halftime against the Aggies — who have since established themselves to be one of the Southeastern Conference's best teams.

Of course, the second half went the opposite direction as A&M clamped down defensively and asserted its strength inside, doubling up Missouri 38-19 over the final 20 minutes to pull out a 62-50 victory...

[jbcarol]

Gabe DeArmond @GabeDeArmond  ·  20 hours ago
My apologies to Danuel House who is probably gonna do some extra running courtesy of Billy Kennedy after answering my question:

I asked if the Aggies could sense a point where #Mizzou felt like the game was over. House said during warmups for the 2nd half.

Kim Anderson addresses #Mizzou's problems on and off the basketball court (FREE): https://missouri.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1734757 ...

The names of the suspended players change, but the result remains the same for Missouri these days. With three freshmen serving suspensions, the Tigers dropped their ninth straight game on Saturday, this one an 83-61 loss to Texas A&M, the worst margin of defeat at home since January 28, 2006.

The loss was the ninth straight for Mizzou and dropped the Tigers to 7-16 on the season. It is the first nine-game losing streak in 48 years and the first time Missouri has lost five straight or more at home in 49 seasons.

"Losing is always tough," said Wes Clark...

"Part of our job as coaches, it's obviously to win basketball games. That's part of our job. But part of our job is to help these guys grow up and help them understand,"I want to win basketball games. But I said this when I was hired and I'd say it today. I am a teacher. I am a teacher. I want to help these kids grow up. And if this is the way I can help them, whether we win or lose, that's the way I'm going to do it."

...just as important is turning around the problems that continue to pervade the Missouri program off the floor.

"I don't know what's more disappointing," Anderson said. "I'm just disappointed in general.

"Can I teach these guys that (discipline)? I don't know. But I'm damn sure gonna try. We're gonna do it the right way as long as I'm here. As long as I'm sitting in this spot, we're gonna do it the right way. We're gonna try to do it the right way. Obviously, we haven't done it the right way, but we're gonna try and do it."

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  5 hours ago
From today's Tribune: Anderson stands firm on the need to establish discipline - Columbia Daily Tribune http://www.columbiatribune.com/sports/mu_basketball/anderson-stands-firm-on-the-need-to-establish-discipline/article_43b7e9a2-3cfd-5364-b327-2972c83b12a4.html ...

The Missouri basketball team will again be without its full complement of scholarship players on Tuesday night when it travels to South Carolina with one freshman ruled out and the status of two others still undecided for disciplinary reasons.

"Tramaine Isabell will not be available for the South Carolina game," Coach Kim Anderson said during Monday's SEC teleconference. "I have not made a decision yet on Montaque Gill-Caesar or Namon Wright, but Tramaine will definitely not be playing."

Anderson did not back off the comments he made about discipline after Saturday's 83-61 loss to Texas A&M, the Tigers' ninth in a row...

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  5 hours ago

Blog: What to watch for when #Mizzou visits South Carolina in a matchup of the bottom two teams in the SEC standings http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/what-to-watch-for-south-carolina/article_b66e7a49-46a8-57ff-9142-965d871d0a5a.html ...

"Fans and maybe media pay attention to records and get depressed because of records," Frank Martin said. "Coaches, we actually watch film and watch teams, and Kim's got his stamp written all over this basketball team. They fight you, they guard you, they rebound, they take good shots. They're playing with tremendous confidence. If you watch them play on film, you'd never know what their record was or you wouldn't guess that their record is what it is. It's got Kim Anderson stamped all over it."

I suspect Anderson would appreciate the support, but even he might have a difficult time accepting Martin's primary thesis.

Lately he's acknowledged the disappointment he feels for Missouri's struggles in his first season. I think Anderson would be the first to admit the Tigers don't yet resemble the team he's hoping to build at his alma mater.

Only on rare occasions after losses has he expressed disappointment over MU's effort and energy level. He for the most part seems to believe his team has been playing hard, but he clearly doesn't think they're playing the way he designed.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  31 minutes ago
South Carolina hands #Mizzou a 65-60 loss, Tigers' 10th straight. They fall to 7-17, 1-10 in SEC play. Bigger loss was PG Wes Clark.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/sports/mu_basketball/clark-injured-as-tigers-suffer-th-straight-loss/article_4b939614-01bf-5951-968a-342b636ff512.html ...

Sindarius Thornwell said he has one of the "worst looks" at Wes Clark's injury. Called it "nasty." Said he wishes Clark the best.

Wes Clark injured his right arm and let out a scream in agony after diving after a loose ball.

South Carolina fans give Clark a nice ovation as he walks off with his arm what looked like an air cast. It's his right arm.

Kim Anderson: "I was really proud of our guys and the way they responded."

Anderson said he doesn't yet have an update on the extent of Clark's injury. He said he was getting X-rays at the football stadium.

Anderson called South Carolina relentless on the offensive glass. "Hopefully, that's something we can do" as young guys progress.

Anderson said there's a trade-off to Shamburger being more aggressive (more misses, turnovers), but he wants him to continue to attack.

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  3 seconds ago
#Mizzou Coach Kim Anderson said Wes Clark has a dislocated elbow and will be re-evaluated upon his return to Missouri.

[jbcarol]

David Cloninger @DCTheState  ·  38 minutes ago
Frank Martin: "Our heart goes out to Wes Clark. It's moments like that that as a coach, makes you sick."

[jbcarol]

David Cloninger @DCTheState  ·  38 minutes ago
Frank Martin: "Our heart goes out to Wes Clark. It's moments like that that as a coach, makes you sick."

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  17 hours ago

[Frank] Martin: "I know Kim, my conversations with him, he's fighting to create a culture, and I know Wes is one of the guys that's bought in."

[jbcarol]

Tom Ackerman @Ackerman1120  ·  2 hours ago

MU's Kim Anderson, on a recruiting trip last night, tells me his plane made an emergency landing when one engine shut down. @kmoxnews at 11.

[SPAL]

Tom Ackerman @Ackerman1120  ·  2 hours ago

MU's Kim Anderson, on a recruiting trip last night, tells me his plane made an emergency landing when one engine shut down. @kmoxnews at 11.

Good lord....even the plane isn't acting right.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  2 minutes ago

Anderson said Wes Clark has a dislocated elbow and is done for the year.

Anderson said he was going to Illinois recruiting on Wednesday night, and he said he looked out and "the right propeller quit propelling."

Anderson said there were police cars, fire engines and ambulances when the plane landed in St. Clair, Mo.

Anderson getting choked up talking about the first responders to the emergency landing.

Anderson: "I don't know how much danger we were in," but he said he wanted to thank everyone.

Anderson got a ride back to Columbia from some first responders and said he learned a lot about their jobs.

Anderson: "You just kind of pick it up and keep going." Said Tigers just have to keep trying to figure out how to win a game.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  now

Anderson asked about reaction to suspensions, said: "You guys would do the same thing."

[jbcarol]

Igor: Engine trouble forces Mizzou coach's plane to make emergency landing

The plane circled a few times searching for an empty runway before landing on a small runway inside a St. Clair, Mo., airport. St. Clair's fire protection district chief Les Crew confirmed to KOMU-TV that Anderson's plane made an emergency landing around 5 P.M. local time Wednesday in route to Illinois. Fortunately, no one was injured in the landing of the plane.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  5 minutes ago
Mississippi State holds on for 77-74 victory over #Mizzou. It's the Tigers' 11th straight loss and sixth straight at #Mizzou Arena.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  15 hours ago

Anderson reinstates Isabell; MU freshman guard expected to play Wednesday at Arkansas - Columbia Daily Tribune http://www.columbiatribune.com/sports/mu_basketball/anderson-reinstates-freshman-guard-isabell/article_3bca34e5-df0c-578b-ba5a-a0d7fa3ecc66.html ...

[jbcarol]

Mizzou athletic director Mike Alden to Kim Anderson: Stay the course

Missouri heads to No. 18 Arkansas on Wednesday looking to end a losing streak that's reached 11 games, the men's basketball team's longest in four decades.

But even if a breakthrough doesn't happen against the Razorbacks, or if the Tigers' season doesn't end on a high note, athletic director Mike Alden said on Tuesday that patience is required when evaluating coach Kim Anderson's first season.

"We knew that throughout the first year, couple of years, there would be growing pains that went along with the shift in coaches, and Kim implementing his system, his philosophy and what he's trying to do," Alden said...

[jbcarol]

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  · 

Jakeenan Gant on Kim Anderson on Tiger Talk radio show: "He wants to make us men. He wants us to progress not just as players but as men."

[LJHOG]

You gotta feel for the guy.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  22 seconds ago
Arkansas closes out an 84-69 victory over #Mizzou. Tigers have matched school-record 12-game losing streak set in 65-66 and matched in 66-67

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  1 hour ago
Blog: What to watch for when #Mizzou plays Vanderbilt at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/what-to-watch-for-vanderbilt/article_29dd8cc5-55a0-55b9-95a7-8f9a6cceb847.html ...

Can the freshmen continue to produce as at Arkansas? Missouri's five freshmen combined for 48 of the Tigers' 69 points against Arkansas while shooting 19 for 33 from the field. It was their second-highest offensive output this season, trailing only the win against Division II Chaminade in the Maui Invitational when with Jakeenan Gant suspended the other four freshmen combined for 51 points, including 21 from Namon Wright and 18 from Montaque Gill-Caesar.

On Wednesday, Tramaine Isabell scored 13 points and handed out three assists to lead the freshmen while making his return from a five-game suspension, and he combined with Gill-Caesar (11 points) and Gant (11 points) to become the first three MU freshmen to reach double figures in scoring in the same game since Laurence Bowers, Marcus Denmon and Kim English accomplished the feat against Colorado in January 2009.

The Tigers are at the point in the season where they can only be building for next year, and with that in mind, Kim Anderson would surely like to see his freshmen produce and show some consistency over the final five games of the regular season. Plus, with Wes Clark injured for the remainder of the season, Missouri is going to need production from the freshmen to have any chance at winning down the stretch.

Will Missouri solve Vanderbilt's defense? The Tigers turned the ball over 20 times against Arkansas but also managed to shoot 50 percent from the field in an up-tempo game against the Razorbacks.

The Commodores prefer to play at a much more deliberate pace, forcing opponents to work for shots out of half-court sets while holding them to 65.3 points on 42.5 percent shooting in SEC play...

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  6 seconds ago
#Mizzou makes history with its 13th straight loss, 76-53 at Vanderbilt. Longest streak in 109-year history of program.

[jbcarol]

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  4 hours ago
Today was the 11th game this season Missouri scored less than 60 points.

MU scored fewer than 60 points in 8 games under Haith (3 years); 9 times under Mike Anderson (5 years); 13 times under Snyder (7 years)

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  19h 19 hours ago

Blog: Anderson still hoping for signs of progress from #Mizzou down the stretch http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/anderson-still-hoping-for-signs-of-progress-down-the-stretch/article_63ca1515-59af-5110-9dd0-bd77d386e67c.html ...

On Arkansas freshman Anton Beard ...

"We had thought about him going in, hoping that he wouldn't play as many minutes as he did because watching him play, as we prepared for the game, we thought he had really improved and given them another guy that could score. He scored against us. I think he scored 13 points maybe against and handled the ball well and shot the ball well from 3. Certainly, when you think of Arkansas, you think of Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls, and both of them are great players. But when I look at their team, especially those first five guys now with Harris and Beard and, of course, Madden, I think that's a really, really good basketball team. I've loved Harris from Day 1. I've thought that he's a guy that brings a different dimension to the game, and I think Beard definitely helps them, too."
...

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  6 minutes ago
Florida leads #Mizzou 31-27 at halftime. Tigers got six points in last 10 minutes after a pretty decent start.

Mizzou shooting 10 for 26 at halftime. Namon Wright is 5 for 7. Everyone else is 5 for 19.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  12 hours ago

Quick gamer: #Mizzou tops Florida, snaps streak on Wright's career night - Columbia Daily Tribune http://www.columbiatribune.com/sports/mu_basketball/tigers-snap-streak-on-wright-s-career-night/article_8a44aefe-3113-5a70-af64-04f1a7626ad5.html ...

Donovan said "I'm happy for Kim. ... I don't think their record is indicative of the job Kim has done."

Kim Anderson opens press conference: "We won. Any questions?"

Anderson said #Mizzou was switching screens on everybody but the Florida big man in the last 10 minutes.

Anderson said he was happy for the players, joked that tomorrow they can walk around campus and not have ski masks on and be proud.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  3 hours ago

Blog: Florida win was pick-me-up for Tigers (and other notes) http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/courtside_view/florida-win-was-pick-me-up-for-tigers-and-other/article_bea6fcf2-52b6-52bd-bff9-3dea52f0f9ab.html ...

Missouri basketball team's losing streak didn't just span 13 games. The team also went 47 days between victories, which is a long time to have to wallow in defeat.

It's not surprising then that the Tigers had a feeling of relief Tuesday night when the final seconds ticked away on a 64-52 victory over Florida inside Mizzou Arena.



"You do work every day, and then you don't see success, and you're like, 'Well, ...'" Anderson said. "You get frustrated. And there was frustration. I was frustrated. You guys know that. You see me two, three, four, five times a week, whatever."

Anderson was glad his players that they could let go of that frustration and have something to feel good about.

"That's what made me happiest is that finally they could see that, 'Hey, if we go out and do this, we give ourselves a great chance to win,'" he said. "That's encouraging."

...

It was almost like clockwork during the losing streak that the opposing coach — whether it was John Calipari, Frank Martin, Kevin Stallings or Mike Anderson — paid a compliment to the work Kim Anderson has been doing rebuilding the Missouri program.

It's possible to be cynical and think, 'Of course, they're praising the coach of the last-place team because they want to keep him around ...' But these coaches all sounded sincere.

Anderson has known many of them since his days as an assistant.

"We all follow each other," he said. "The last 12 years I'm sitting in Warrensburg, Mo., and I'm watching Frank Martin coach K-State or I'm watching John Calipari when he was at Memphis or I'm watching Billy Donovan win two national championships.

"Mark Fox was an assistant at K-State when I was working at the Big 12. I used to go see him or see" his former boss "Tom Asbury."

He added: "Mike Anderson and I used to recruit against each other when he was at Arkansas, and I was here, so we'd see each other a lot."

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  21 minutes ago
Georgia routs #Mizzou 68-44. Tigers shoot 28.6 percent from the field, outrebounded 47-30.

Missouri has now lost six games by 20 or more points this season and has lost 14 straight road games, a streak that began last year at FLA.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  27 minutes ago
#Mizzou players did not do interviews after the Georgia loss. They either did not hang around or declined interview requests.

It definitely didn't seem to be Kim Anderson's call for players to not do interviews.

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  26 minutes ago
First time all season at least one player wasn't available for interviews after a game.

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  27 minutes ago
#Mizzou players did not do interviews after the Georgia loss. They either did not hang around or declined interview requests.

It definitely didn't seem to be Kim Anderson's call for players to not do interviews.

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  26 minutes ago
First time all season at least one player wasn't available for interviews after a game.

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  Feb 28
Missouri players were not available for interviews. It wasn't Anderson's call. Players declined or didn't hang around after the game.

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  Mar 1

Ahem, good timing here from the great @GlobeBobRyan on why media need to talk to athletes http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/03/01/why-media-need-talk-athletes/gBpkicUJOc2UC17vmgr9PN/story.html ...

Does it have to be Us vs. Them?

Are sports media folk and athletes inherent enemies?

Thinking back to the hoo-ha at the Super Bowl concerning Marshawn Lynch, whose "I'm-just-here-because-I-gotta-be" mantra was borrowed by Durant, the question about why athletes should even have to talk to the media was again front and center.

Now, I will acknowledge that far too many of the postgame encounters are banal and pointless. Really good, juicy, informative quotes are always in short supply. But when writers are facing hideous nighttime deadlines, those boring, obvious, and repetitive quotes are needed in order to fill space and make that deadline. I call them the journalistic equivalent of Hamburger Helper. There are times a writer cannot live without them.

Most players, even today, go along with the program. They understand that a writer or electronic journalist has a job to do, and most athletes still fulfill what they accept as a professional obligation...

[jbcarol]

Dave Matter @Dave_Matter  ·  24 minutes ago
Final: Missouri 63, Auburn 61.

Attendance at Mizzou Arena was 6,619, which will bring down the season average

Kim Anderson is addressing the crowd:  "I know it's not the year you wanted. It's not the year I wanted. ... But you stuck with us."

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik @Steve_Walentik  ·  9 hours ago

Anderson on addressing the crowd: "I just wanted to thank them. Some of them have written me letters. Most of them have been good."