Basketball from a fans perspective

Published daily except Tuesdays & Thursdays

Trap game…it could have been

After an emotional win last Sunday against rival Kansas would there be a letdown, would the Tigers be prepared to face Long Island University? The game was never in doubt although early on LIU played a competitive game. The final score read Mizzou 88 LIU 61 as the Tigers stepped on the gas and never let up throughout the game. I’ve not read or heard any commentary from Mizzou coach Gates but this game appeared to be an experiment in a sense, allow an explanation. Tamar Bates the hero against Kansas played 16 minutes in the game, the same for center Josh Gray who played but 10 minutes.  Instead the minutes and points went to Trent Pierce 6 foot 10 guard/forward, he led the way with 24 points.

Also playing extended minutes was guard Marques Warrick and forward Mark Mitchell. Of those named Mitchell is the only Mizzou player with major minutes against Kansas and LIU. Mizzou after losing to Memphis on November 4 has now reeled off 9 wins in a row. Naysayers might contend with the exception of Memphis and Kansas the schedule thus far has not been overwhelming. I could agree with such a statement however the portion that looks good to me depth. Gates is preparing his team for the tough upcoming SEC Conference race. Up next, Jacksonville State from Conference USA and then it’s the Braggin’ Rights Game against Illinois on December 22. The LIU game that could have been a trap game turned out to be nothing of that sort as Mizzou was an easy winner.

I’m not by myself…as I believed

The NBA blackout rule totally bamboozles me, I have tried to make sense of the regulation to no avail. Naturally when faced with a problem one always assumes he or she is by themselves, not so. Drive time from Kansas City to Oklahoma City is 352 miles or 566.489 kilometers, that’s 4 hours and 52 minutes’ drive time. Denver to Kansas City is even further, 604 miles or 972.044 kilometers or 8 hours and 14 minutes. Blackouts were a method for the “home team” to encourage fans to attend the game rather than view it on television. As you can see by the road mileage provided the distance between my hometown and these two NBA cities is no short drive, there is no way I could take a flight and arrive in either city in short space of time but that’s about it.

Allow me to take this one step further if a Thunder or Nuggets game is on NBA TV it’s not available to me. That same blackout rule fails to apply if the game is broadcast on ESPN, TNT or ABC. To provide greater confusion for you understand this little twist, in Kansas City we have FanDuel Sports Kansas City and FanDuel Sports Extra. I can view Thunder games on either of these channels anytime they play, figure that one out if you care. You remember me stating I was the only one in the nation with this problem…I discovered that is far from the case. A fan wrote, “I live 700 miles from SLC (Salt Lake City), yet am blacked out for Utah Jazz.” This from another NBA fan, “Peoria IL has Bulls (makes sense), Pacers (eh but ok) & Grizzlies (makes no sense). I am unsure if the new media agreement going into effect next season changes the existing rule. For the immediate future I must make do with what I can

It’s the building

What might we suppose is the most intimidating factor for a visiting college team, A. the opposition B. the coach or C. the building? It’s my contention that sometimes it could be all three however for these purposes I am going to settle on C. the building. Can you imagine playing in Cameron Indoor, the Dean Dome or Rupp Arena…maybe its Allen Fieldhouse. Over the years these arenas have witnessed several outstanding athletes and dynamic teams. Each of the arenas is old by today’s standards but that might add to the mystique as much as the coach or the opposition. Cameron on the Duke campus has been in use since 1940, of course this tiny (less than 10,000 seat) arena has been remodeled several times over the years.

The student body is right on top of the court…a mighty intimidating factor. The Dean Dome at North Carolina has also been renovated a couple of times, it opened in 1986 and seats almost 22,000 Carolina Blue fans, alumni and visitors. Rupp Arena in Lexington is the newest of the intimidators, it opened in 1976 and seats 24,000 rabid fans of Big Blue Nation. Finally we arrive at Allen Fieldhouse home of the Kansas Jayhawks, this building opened in 1955 and has seating capacity for 16,000 fans of the program. There are other arenas which once had an intimidating factor, one of those being Pauley Pavilion UCLA’s home. Pauley is probably less scary as it was in the days of Alcindor, Walton and others. There are some college basketball arenas I surely overlooked, those named in this account are the ones I believe panic the opposition the most.

It's a destination

This member of Mizzou Nation was pleased with the post-game comments of Mizzou guard Tamar Bates. His basketball journey began at Piper HS in Kansas City, Kansas, from there it was IMG Academy in Bradenton Florida. I’m unsure if he was recruited by Mizzou because he was in school during the Cuonzo Martin period. In any event this local kid “escaped” and headed to Indiana University and then transferred to Mizzou prior to the 2023-24 season after not playing much at Indiana. His scoring numbers are not outstanding but certainly noteworthy, he appears to excel on the defensive side of the ball. Bates’ 29 point scoring effort included 5 steals against the Kansas Jayhawks, oh the press conference.

Bates said something to the effect “You don’t have to travel far to find outstanding basketball” a reference to Columbia MO and its distance from Kansas City KS. The proof will not be forthcoming immediately however its hoped Mizzou becomes a basketball destination. Perhaps Mizzou will attract a number of McDonald’s All Americans rather than just eating there. An explanation is required here for those who might not be aware of the story. Former Mizzou coach Norm Stewart (1967-1999) was once asked; “Do you have any McDonald’s All Americans on the roster?” Stewart’s response, “We have no McDonald’s All Americans but we eat there.” Lawrence Kansas is less than 50 miles from most of metro Kansas City MO, the present roster contains three kids from the Kansas side of the metro, why not recruit on both sides of State Line Road.