Mizzou Bball

[stlfisher]

I had never heard of Frank Haith so I was a bit upset when they hired him. So far....the guy has done an excellent job. This team needs offensive help and a better flow...that is a lot of pressure on Jabari Brown. MU is big and physical which actually bodes well come tourney time when teams play a bit tight. In the interim MU is going to struggle against good offensive teams until we can get our offense in sink.

Boy it be real nice to have Denmon or English on the team this year. It also makes you wonder what would have happened if Bowers was not injured last year. Seems like we are one player away from making a serious splash. Let's hope Jabari Brown is that guy. Give Jankovic more playing time.

Indiania and Duke both look really really good...clearly the class of the country so far.

[Al Agnew]

I had a LITTLE faith in Alden to make a decent hire, and when I learned a little about what Haith had to contend with at Miami, I wasn't as worried as when I first heard his name. What I WAS worried about last year was the team. Anderson didn't get ANYTHING out of that group, and once Bowers was hurt I figured it would be a lost season. Instead, it turned out to be the most fun to watch team I ever saw at Mizzou. If the truth be known, I suspect that one huge reason Norfolk State beat them was because English was still suffering from the deep thigh bruise and was only playing at about 70%. When you only have seven guys that can contribute at all, and one key player isn't 100%, you're a lot more likely to be upset by mediocre teams. What that team could have been with Bowers...wow.

I said all along that this season would be the real test of Haith's coaching abilities. The one thing last year's team had going for them was that they'd all played together for a long time, and they already knew what each other could do. This year, Haith has to mesh all the new talent into a team. Illinois is going to be a good test of how well he's doing at this point.

[ozark trout fisher]

I am looking forward to the Illinois game. It will be a good test. Illinois isn't as good as they looked against Gonzaga (after all, they came uncomfortably close to losing to dreaded Norfolk State last night, along with close games against Hawaii and Gardner-Webb...) but they are a legitimate top 25 team, and would definitely register as a quality win. Missouri needs those, too, if we're to get into the tournament as something like a 5 seed. VCU and Stanford will most likely be nice wins and should be very helpful should we find ourselves on the tournament bubble, but those aren't the wins that a top 15 team should come away with in the non-conference. And true quality wins will be tough to come by after Illinois, with UCLA down and Kentucky not quite it's usual top 10 self, at least yet. Our home and home with Florida might be our only games with a team of Illinois' caliber the whole rest of the season. So it's important for sure.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Let me ask you guy's this. When you first heard the name of Frank Haith as being the new head coach, what was your thought? Had you even heard of him?

My first reaction was, we are screwed! I thought it was a desperate but albeit, stupid decision. But, I'll say this, I sure have changed my mind. I feel know he was a top level coach in need of a top tier program.

I really need to proof read. Sorry about that.

[ozark trout fisher]

Well, Jabari Brown gets eligible tomorrow...he may even start according to Haith. Don't know if he'll have a major impact right off the bat (he's basically a freshman, having only played 2 college games) but he should be a significant piece of the puzzle in time. I think it's too much to ask to expect him to fix all of our outside shooting difficulties, but it should be a help.

[Al Agnew]

Rumor was that the rap on Jabari Brown at Oregon was that he was selfish. I didn't see that tonight. He played within the offense, took good shots, and had three assists, two of them pretty sweet. His three point shot wasn't falling, but it will come, and he took good shots.

Overall, though, the team finally showed a lot of the potential they have. The energy on both offense and defense was what it should be with a team that goes ten-deep. And everybody looked like they were finally beginning to understand their roles, and playing within them. It was a cupcake opponent, but at least they dominated the way they should, instead of playing down to the cupcake's level in the first half like they have with several other cupcakes.

I'm gonna be at the Illinois game with some of my basketball playing buddies. Can't wait.

[stlfisher]

They looked good tonight and it looked easy. Granted it was a cupcake team, but still they showed their potential. I though Jabari looked fine...he will score some points...and he seemed to play within himself. I really really like the way Jankovic plays...they need to keep him in the starting lineup.

Have fun at the game Al. I have been to several vs Illinois myself and it is always a good time.

[ruthead]

Great game for Brown!! 3's didnt really go down which may be a blessing as maybe now he won't go crazy shooting them. He did get some good quality points and showed he WILL take it to the hoop strong. I see him scoring a ton of points at the line. He had good asists also. He saw we can score 100 points and he doesn't have to have 30 of em. Gonna be a good year!

[Quillback]

Watched the last 10 minutes of the Illini game, big win for Mizzou. They did a good job on the defensive boards, not giving the Illini a 2nd chance on missed shots.

[stlfisher]

mizzou looked good last night. The potential is there for a great year and a deep tourney run. Pressey shot awful which is not likely to happen again. This team could be really really good