With 19 seconds left, up four and Laurence Bowers at the line for Missouri shooting two free throws, there was a 99.40% chance that it would win. For some perspective, I was sitting next to several Georgetown fans who had began to put their coats on and head out. That is until Bowers went on to miss both free throws and they figured they might as well stick around to see the conclusion. 19 seconds later, Missouri was going to overtime with the #16 Georgetown Hoyas and would eventually lose 111-101. With some crucial missed free throws, a couple favorable bounces, and a bad decision that led to a buzzer-beating three pointer, the nearly impossible became reality for the Tigers.
Unlikely events happen all the time in sports (oxymoron intended). But they sure do seem to happen a hell of a lot more to Missouri sports teams. From Tyus Edney to the 5th down, and the kick against Nebraska and so on, Missouri has some bad karma when it comes to the end of games. Sure, every University has a couple major disappointments in their history, but do they have as many heartbreaking loses that the Tiger's do in the last 20 years? As a fan you almost come to expect it and are cautiously prepared for a meltdown or improbable play at the end of games, but it still for whatever reason surprises me when it happens.
Listen, It wasn't a devastating loss for the Tigers. It won't ruin their season and they'll have plenty of chances to make-up for it in a young season, but it still hurts. Anyone who watched that game that has even an inkling of basketball knowledge could tell that these were two top programs in the country battling it out in a heavyweight fight. The Tigers aren't a team that is going be sitting on the bubble come March and deeply regretting letting this game slip away. But it was a missed opportunity to add a resume building win that would standout in come NCAA tournament selection time when the Tigers should be vying for a high seed.
I look at this Mizzou basketball team and see a lot of talent, albeit raw talent, but loads and loads of talent al over the court. Ricardo Ratliffe is starting to fill the role that most Tiger fans thought he would when he signed with the Tigers as the #1 rated Junior College player in the country according to Rivals . He is an aggressive and physical player down low, although his post-moves could use some fine-tuning, and he is an above-average rebounder. This is exactly what the 2009-10 Missouri basketball team was missing. There is also a bevy of talent on the perimeter with Denmon, Dixon, English, and the Pressey brothers. And Denmon, who dropped 27 points against Georgetown and is averaging 16.4 ppg., looks to be establishing himself as the team's best player and the go-to-guy.
Despite all this talent, Missouri seems like a team that is still trying to figure out how to play together. This is to be expected when a team adds several new players that are expected to contribute right away. There are still some Tigers trying to figure out their role on the team and I have no doubt that Coach Mike Anderson will help them find it soon. The Tigers are 6-1, with eight games left in the non-conference schedule. This stretch has several difficult games, starting tomorrow night with Vanderbilt (7-1) and includes meetings with Illinois in the Braggin' Rights Game, and a tough Old Dominion squad that went toe-to-toe with Georgetown. If the Tigers can get through that slate unscathed then they would be in excellent shape heading into the gauntlet of the Big 12 with a chance to bolster their NCAA tournament resume.
