Mizzou’s Dream Dies Hard
The magical Missouri run ended Saturday in Glendale, Ariz.
Mizzou played Connecticut hard and smart in their regional final. The Tigers gave themselves a chance to win, doing what they had to do against the huge and physical Huskies.
But, in the end, the Tigers just couldn’t make enough shots to win.
The Huskies used their size advantage to control the boards and beat the Tigers 82-75. As expected, they dominated the Tigers in the paint.
The Tigers got to the free-throw line just 12 times and made just six of them. U-Conn, by contrast, made 26 of 32 from the line.
Despite that, Missouri could have knocked off the Huskies IF it shot the ball like it did against Memphis.
But the Tigers didn’t — and that made all the difference.
The Tigers forced turnovers, including 11 in the first half. they battled back from an early 13-2 deficit to lead briefly in the second half.
They worked the ball on offense, getting easy baskets inside and good looks outside.
They just couldn’t get enough shots to fall.
From three-point range, they missed 13 of 18 shots. Tigers other than Matt Lawrence were two of 11 from beyond the arc.
The Tigers shot just 42 percent from the floor and less than 28 percent from three-point range.
On the plus side, returning Tigers like Justin Safford and Keith Ramsey (17 points between them) competed well against the Huskies and gave Mizzou fans hope that the Tigers could be right back in the tournament next year.
This team never buckled Saturday. It never lost its poise. But a miss here, a miss there and Missouri’s Final Four dream slipped away.
Thank you, Tigers, for a great season and reminding us how to play the game.