(MIZBB)—Just when many thought the Missouri Tigers had turned an important corner and were playing consistent, intense basketball they are badly outplayed by a team that played their game better than they did.
Missouri, a team that feasts on the inside game with outside sharpshooters to provide balance, was badly outplayed on the inside in the Texas game and suffered another big-point loss at a crucial time. Texas ran away in the second half to win 85-68. Texas outscored Missouri 40-28 in the paint and out-rebounded the Tigers 36-26/
The Tigers shot only ten three-pointers and hit four of them. They drew fouls on the inside but continued their mediocre (at best) free throw shooting, going 26-38. Texas missed only two of its 23 free throws. It was only the fifth time in the last eleven years that Missouri has tried ten or fewer shots from outside the arc.
Missouri sent into the game as the last team in the NCAA tournament according to one survey, and as high as 57th in another. It’s back on the outside again.
The Tigers play Vanderbilt tomorrow night. It’s a big test. Vanderbilt comes in at 21-4, has won three in a row, and is third in the conference standings.
(THE BILLS)—-The St. Louis University Billikens continued their roll with an 86-59 drubbing of Chicago Loyola to run their record to 24-1. This week’s coaches poll has them 19th. Sportswriters have them 18th.
(KOBE)—Former Tiger Kobe Brown has moved from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Indiana Pacers in the last week or so. This is his fifth season in the NBA. He’s been a bench player throughout his career—getting only a couple of starts and averaging about three points a game.
But he was impressive in his first two games with the Pacers. In 19 minutes against the Knicks, he got a half dozen rebounds and eight points. When he was on the court, Indiana outscored the Knicks by 13. He followed up that game with four points, seven rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes against the Brooklyn Nets.
How ‘bout some other former Tigers:
Tamar Bates, who signed a two-way contract with the Denver Broncos after going undrafted last year, recovering from a December surgical procedure to repair a broken left foot. A two-way contract lets a player in the NBA’s G League move back and forth to the parent club while developing NBA skills.
Caleb Grill is playing for the Windy City Bulls, the G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls. He’s averaging about 11 ppg in 27 games.
Jordan Clarkson is averaging about nine points a game for the Knicks. He’s an 11 year veteran of then NBA now.
Michael Porter is in his first year with the Brooklyn Nets. He’s averaging 25 points, 7 rebounds and three assists.
Dru Smith is averaging six points a game for the Miami Heat. He went undrafted in 2021 but played for Brooklyn before moving to Miami in the off season.
Sean East is averaging 17.5 ppg for the Salt Lake City Stars, the G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz. He has earned his way into the NBA Rising Stars game.
D’Moi Hodge played internationally last year before joining the G League playing for the Texas Legends, the affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. In 32 games he’s averaging 8.5 points per game.
Jeremiah Tilmon also is on a G league team, the Wisconsin Herd, an affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks after playing time in Europe.
How about some baseball?
(CARDINALS)—Workhorse pitcher Miles Mikolas has found a new home with the Washington Nationals but he has no hard feelings about being cut loose from the Cardinals. It boils down to just baseball business. He tells Sports Illustrated online’s Patrick McEvoy:
“The Cardinals, you know, they were kind of in between the teardown and the rebuild but you know, sometimes, you have to wipe the board clean, you have to grab a new sheet of paper before you can paint that next masterpiece. They got a new front office and they’re going for it with that. I’m sure you know that’s a really good, smart group of guys there. They’re going to make the moves that obviously they think are best. It is definitely different. It was loaded with veterans my first couple of years there and I was a little bit younger. …
“We caught some bad breaks the last couple of seasons. We lose some guys. Guys had some down years. I’m going to regret forever not pitching my last couple of years in a Cardinals uniform. But that’s the way that baseball is. You have good years and you have bad years. Bounce back. Comeback seasons and stuff like that. Wish all of my best to all of my buddies over there. I hope they do great except for the games that we’re playing them.”
He’s known as an innings-burner, one of four pitchers to start at least 30 games in a season in the last four years—130 of them, which ties him with Dylan Cease for second behind Logan Webb’s 132. He also is one of a dozen pitchers to make at least 200 starts each year in the last eight seasons, despite missing all of 2020 and part of 2021 with an arm injury. He’s 37.
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(CARDINALS)—-The first spring training game for the Cardinals is Sunday against the Washington Nationals at “home.”
(ROYALS)—Kansas City’s first spring training game will be Friday against the Texas Rangers.
(CHIEFS)—-The Chiefs have picked up another coach with significant opportunities—DeMarco Murray, a former NFL Offensive Player of the year who is the new running backs coach. He spent the last six years on the staff of the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Chiefs have one running back under contract—Brashard Smith. Dameon Pierce, Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt will become free agents soon.
Murray was with the Dallas Cowboys for four years, leading the league 1845 yards rushing one year. He also played for the Eagles and the Titans.
Circle time—well, more like a tri-oval time.
(DAYTONA)—-Right place, right time—-once again, the Daytona 500 ends with a mad scramble in the last 500 hundred yards and this year’s survivor is Tyler Reddick who emerged from the last lap madness to beat Ricky Stenhouse Jr., across the line. Third-place finisher Joey Logan crossed the line sideways by Brad Keselowski (still recovering from a December broken leg) and Chase Elliott crashing into his side. Logano was awarded third place and Elliott, fourth.
The race featured 65 lead changes with a record 25 drivers crossing the finish line leading at least one lap. Bubba Wallace led 40 of them and came home tenth.
A year ago, Reddick and his teammates at 23XI Racing were uncertain they’d have rides this year as 23XI and its co-owners Denny Hamlin and NBA star Michael Jordan were involved in a heated anti-trust lawsuit about NASCAR’s charter system that guarantees starting positions and funding for teams. The suit was settled during the off-season with 23XI getting its charter.
The win is the first for Reddick since 2024. “Just speechless. I didn’t know if I’d ever win this race. It’s surreal, honestly. The best part is my son asked before this race, ‘Are you finally going to win this race?’ Something about today just felt right,” he told an interviewer in winner’s circle.
(SEVENTIME)—Jimmie Johnson is going to quit messing around in the cockpit of a NASCAR car a year from now. He announced before the Daytona 500 that next year’s race will be his last one behind the wheel. He’s been competing occasionally in select races for the last six years, but says it’s time to devote all of his time to his team, Legacy Motor Club—which bought up Petty Racing a couple of years ago. Johnson will be 51 in September. He ran with the contenders for part of the race but finished 29th.