| 14 July 2009
I thought it was pretty sweet beating kU on Monday. But I thought it was pretty sweet when we beat them in '06 too. Only thing was after that win the Tigers didn't win another game under the leadership of Quin Snyder and went about a month before finally notching another W. After today one thing became very obvious as the Tigers throttled the Huskers 70-47: These ain't Quin's Tigers.
- KEITH RAMSEY!!! What an energizer. What was great about that block that he sent about five rows deep into the bleachers was that you could see that coming from a mile away. But normally he gets his timing down and keeps the ball inbounds. This time I think he decided to send a message: Get the hell outta my house. This team is great but it does have its flaws. But the last several years teams have been able to come into Mizzou Arena and push the Tigers around. Not anymore.
- Every time Laurence Bowers plays more than five minutes he produces one highlight worthy play. I'm not looking forward to Leo and DeMarre leaving, but I think guards around the Big 12 are already having nightmares about trying to drive the lane with LB and Swatmaster Ramsey patrolling the paint.
- Ramsey's swat may have produced more of a reaction from the fans because of his outburst of emotion afterwards, but no play was more impressive today than Kim English's out of nowhere block in the first half. We talk a lot about how smart a player English is but I think we overlook how athletic he is. I'd like to see him bulk up a bit in the next couple years and add to that 6-6 200 pound frame. I think I see a little Grant Hill in his game? Anyone else have a better comparison?
- DeMarre Carroll is all of a sudden shooting 42 percent from behind the 3-point line. That doesn't mean I want him shooting more from out there. The reason he's shooting such a high percentage is that he knows when and how to pick his spots. That's the thing Marshall Brown was never able to do.
- Miguel Paul played a little better today than he has been but I still think he's struggling. I'm also starting to worry that his confidence is down. Hopefully, Mike Anderson's giving him some positive reinforcement. Not every freshman is going to have a smooth transition to the college game. The important thing for MP3 will be for him to not get down on himself. I think he proved in the non-conference season that he's capable of being a solid point guard in this league. He's just gotta get some more experience. Unfortunately, that may mean taking a few bumps along the way.
- Nebraska threw double- and triple- teams at Leo and DeMarre all day just like they did in Lincoln. And they both struggled getting their points. The difference this time around was the Tigers had their guards penetrating and attacking instead of passing the ball around the perimeter and settling for jump shots. J.T. Tiller was awesome today. Ever notice how the Tigers rarely lose when J.T. plays well? I wonder if there's something to that?
- Going back to the double-teams, I'd have liked to see Mike call more plays where Leo was catching the ball out on the wing instead of in the paint. It's a lot harder to execute a double-team out on the perimeter.
- One thing that really annoys me at basketball games is when fans will constantly yell for their guys to shoot the ball when they're trying to run their offense. I heard a lot of that today and I didn't understand why because the Tigers were doing exactly what they were supposed to. Sure they were passing up a lot of open threes but those threes weren't in rhythm. They were shots that Doc Sadler wanted them to take. That's the whole point of packing it in like that. You beat a zone by making quick passes, throwing it inside then outside and then back inside and back outside. You make the extra pass. You don't shoot the first open shot you see.
- Very solid game from Matt Lawrence. I know this is an extremely specialized skill, but he's probably the best weak side rebounder on the team. Seems like he gets one weak side rebound and putback every game. He also really helped stretch the Huskers' zone in the first half. He's such a solid player when you don't have the offense revolving around him.
- You know it's a good day when Stevie Moore gets to play.
- Heading into Big 12 play I knew the Tigers had a shot at going to the Big Dance. But never in my wildest dreams did I think they'd start 9-2. Today's win ensures that the Tigers will finish with a winning record in conference play for the first time since...Bueller? Bueller?
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