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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- The only hit Missouri took Saturday was
to Kareem Rush's already stitched-up lip.
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If you are going to talk about redemption, you have to talk about the Missouri Tigers. Quin Snyder has been unfairly ripped, critics saying his team has not met expectations. People don't realize how tough it is to compete day-in-and-day-out in the very tough Big 12 conference. After their up-and-down year, many people thought this club would be a goner early in the Tourney, but goner they are not.
Rickey Paulding and Clarence Gilbert gave great performances to hold down the Buckeyes, and despite the 21 stitches in his lip, Kareem Rush tallied 17. The Tigers played better-than-solid defense, holding OSU star Brent Darby to two for 11.
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Rush and the Tigers did a lot more damage to Ohio State.
Unranked heading to the NCAA Tournament and lightly regarded by
the selection committee, 12th-seeded Missouri put on another
dazzling display of offensive punch and rebounding power in an
83-67 upset of the No. 4 Buckeyes in the West Regional.
Now the Tigers are playing like the team that opened the season
9-0 and was ranked No. 2 in the polls in December. And coach Quin
Snyder says they might not have peaked yet.
"Right now, this is an incredibly hungry team," Snyder said.
"Every game we play, we've got a chance to get better."
Missouri (23-11) moves into the round of 16 for the first time
since 1994. No 12th-seeded team ever has gone beyond the regional
semifinals.
Ohio State guard Brian Brown, who led the Buckeyes with 19
points, said Missouri could go much deeper in this tournament.
"Those guys are dangerous because they're unconscious," Brown
said. "They shoot the ball whenever they feel like it."
Rush didn't seem bothered by a nasty cut on his lip that
required 21 stitches to close. He had 17 points and nine rebounds,
while Rickey Paulding scored 20 points and also had nine boards.
Rush was cut Thursday in Missouri's first surprise of the
tourney, a 93-80 victory over fifth-seeded Miami.
|  | | Brandon Fuss and the Buckeyes were smothered by Missouri. |
On Saturday, he was fouled and took another shot to the mouth
with just over 4 minutes left. He hit the floor, got up and checked
for blood. He shrugged off the hit and proceeded to hit the two
free throws.
"Yeah it hurt," Rush said, "but my teammates said 'Don't let
them see you hurt.' It's just a busted lip. As long as you don't
think about it, it doesn't come into play."
Missouri dominated the boards with a 48-26 advantage that
included 17 at the offensive end.
"We talked about rebounding like it was the front of a
battle," Snyder said. "We got in our fox hole."
One of those offensive rebounds was Paulding's tip-in basket at
the end of the first half that put the Tigers up 47-26. With the
Missouri fans on their feet, Paulding walked off the floor with his
hands raised.
"We were beaten by a much better team," Ohio State coach Jim
O'Brien said. "They were quicker and they dominated the
backboards."
The Tigers took control by hitting 18 of 37 shots in the first
half. Ohio State alternated going from a man-to-man defense to a
zone, but it didn't slow Missouri.
"We wanted to break the defense down before we took a shot,"
Snyder said, adding that his players "were trying to rebound each
other's misses instead of assuming they are going to get the
shot."
Big Ten conference tournament champion Ohio State (24-8) never
mounted a threat in the second half. The Buckeyes shot just 35.5
percent.
Clarence Gilbert added 16 points, and Arthur Johnson 14 for
Missouri. Gilbert scored 13 points in the final 8 minutes of the
first half and led an 18-4 run that put the Tigers up 41-23.
The Tigers are playing so well they've trailed for a total of
only 44 seconds in their two NCAA games.
With 14:21 left Saturday, Gilbert hobbled to the Missouri bench
nursing his left ankle. The ankle was retaped, and Gilbert made a
3-pointer moments after re-entering the game to give the Tigers a
63-39 lead.
Brown's short jumper 16 seconds into the game gave the Buckeyes
a 2-0 lead, the only time Missouri has trailed in the tournament.
Johnson hit consecutive layups, and just 1:24 in, the Tigers were
in front to stay.
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On a roll