On the rise.I'm speechless. What transpired during the Missouri-Memphis game was hard to believe. We'll trace back through and try to gain some perspective in a bit. But for now, let's just think happy thoughts. For the fourth time, Missouri has reached the Elite Eight. Can this team take the final step, the one that Tiger squads couldn't take in 1976, 1994 or 2002? Why not? Everything from here on out is gravy. Mike Anderson's 2009 Mizzou squad continues to be a perfect storm of talent, scheme, desire and confidence. Anything they do now could not possibly surprise me. And after picking against the (Missouri) Tigers tonight, there is no way I'm going to doubt this team again.First, let me catch my breath by throwing out a non sequiter. Did Dick Enberg bother anybody out there? Mind you, he didn't bother me at all. I've been listening to Dick Enberg for 30 years and even though he's slowing down a bit, his voice is still synonymous with big-time sports. My wife ... she seemed irked by ol' Dick. It reminded me of last year's Cotton Bowl, when she was pitching a fit about Pat Summerall while I was willing to forgive all because he's, well, Pat Summerall. Enberg captures the drama of a big game as well as anyone this side of Brent Musburger, both of whom are much better in that regard than Jim Nantz could ever hope to be. So he makes a mistake here and there ... at least he's not a teflon-coated Fox drone. I also like Jay Bilas, another polarizing announcer. Anyway....
There were a number of remarkable numbers that emerged from Mizzou's win. As I wrote in my advance, Memphis' defensive efficiency coming into the game was not only the best in the nation this year, it was the best of any team in at least the last four seasons. What Mizzou did offensively on Thursday night was unbelievable. Coming into the game:
* Memphis had played only two games with 80 or more possessions this year, both of them blowout wins against weak teams. Thursday's game had 83 possessions. I figured tempo would be the key to the game and I think it was, only it was Missouri able to force a fast game that carried the day, rather than Memphis' ability to keep the contest a halfcourt battle.
* Memphis had allowed an effective field-goal percentage (that is field-goal percentage adjusted for the extra credit you get for hitting three-point shots) of 50% or above in just six of 36 games entering the Mizzou encounter. Mizzou posted an eFG% of 58.1%, bested only by Fairfield this season amongst Memphis' opponents. And Fairfield committed turnovers on over 1/3 of its possessions in that game.
* In terms of defensive efficiency, usually expressed as points allowed per 100 possessions, Memphis had allowed over 100.0 only four times. Their worst performance was the 106.5 dEFF they posted against Central Florida back in Jan. 10. Missouri posted a 123.6.
One of my erroneous observations before the game was that Missouri couldn't win if it didn't force at least 17 to 20 Memphis turnovers. They forced 14, which turned out to be plenty. I figured they needed to force turnovers to create easy shot opportunities and to keep the tempo fast. As it turned out, they kept the tempo fast with the offense, as J.T. Tiller and company doggedly pushed the ball down the floor time and again, whether it was after a missed shot or after a made field goal. It's obvious that Mike Anderson recognized the holes in Memphis' transition defense and, in the end, Anderson whipped up on on his counterpart, John Calipari. Missouri seemed well prepared for what Memphis had to offer. I can't say the same thing for Calipari's crew.
For one thing, this was supposed to be a matchup of two teams with superior depth. True to form, Mike Anderson played all 11 players that have comprised his rotation this season. Tiller, who was having a career night, played 35 minutes, but beyond that no Tiger played more than 29 minutes. Meanwhile, Memphis played only eight players and one of them, Wesley Witherspoon, was only in the game as a designated fouler. Four Memphis starters played more than 30 minutes. Mizzou stuck with what has worked for them all season. Memphis tried to play Missouri's style with a tightened rotation, an approach bound to fail.
Missouri forced turnovers on 17 percent of Memphis' possessions, well below their season average. Three of Missouri's four lowest forced-turnover rates have come in the NCAA Tournament. While pressure defense and forced turnovers may have been Mizzou's bread and butter during the season, they've had to rely on other facets of its game to advance in the tournament. That they've been able to do so is a testament to the remarkable resilency of the '08-09 Tigers.
So here we are again, at the threshold of a breakthrough win that could not only embed Mizzou into the big-time hoops landscape, but also allow us KC Tiger fans a chance to puff our chests out here in the middle of Jayhawk land. Only one little obstacle remains: top-seeded UConn. We'll break that matchup down tomorrow. For now, let's just enjoy tonight.