Cornell forward Andre Wilkins, left, and guard Conor Mullen, right, watch a Utah State practice Thursday before their NCAA Tournament first-round game against Missouri in Boise, Idaho. The game is scheduled to tip at approximately 3 p.m. today.By Mike Sullivan
Ithaca Journal
March 20, 2009
BOISE, Idaho — Missouri packs so much pressure with its "40 minutes of hell" style that sometimes it seems the Tigers have more than five players on the court.
So Cornell coach Steve Donahue found the perfect way to cope with the Tigers' style of play in recent practices: He had his starting unit practice against six players.
"There's really no way to do that except add bodies," Donahue said Thursday before a light workout at Taco Bell Arena. " ... It's very hard to simulate just the pace of the game that Missouri presents. It's extremely difficult to do that."
Guards Louis Dale and Adam Gore said the five-on-six workouts went well, but the real test will be today when the Big Red is on the same court as Missouri.
"We just have to make sure that we don't play into their hands of speeding ourselves up and rushing our style of play," Gore said. "I think we just kind of need to play at our own pace and realize that if we do that, we'll be OK."
Added Dale: "We've just got to be ball tough and execute passes and come meet the ball. I think that we can do a great job if we just make sure that we do those things and not turn the ball over."
The frenetic pace the Tigers play is a testament to the depth on the team. Missouri uses 11 players and only three starters average more than 23 minutes per contest.
That leaves plenty of playing time for bench players such as freshman guards Marcus Denmon and Kim English and junior forward Keith Ramsey.
"(Our bench is) real valuable, especially in the first half because our starters won't get tired and their starters will," said Ramsey, the team's leading shot blocker (29) despite averaging just 14 minutes per game. "We keep on coming at you first half and second half."
Tigers coach Mike Anderson has always favored fast-paced attacks and relied on deep benches in his seven seasons at the helm, the last three at Missouri. Anderson was on Nolan Richardson's staff at Arkansas and the Razorbacks won the 1994 national championship with a similar approach.
So recruiting the type of players who understand that the pace provides ample opportunities for everyone is something he's been doing for a long time. He also knows that not every player will accept being a reserve.
"Playing 28 minutes the way we play, you are getting quality minutes, not just quantity minutes," said Anderson, who coached Alabama-Birmingham to three straight NCAA appearances before leaving for Missouri. "It's the equivalent probably of 38 minutes for somebody else.
"And I think when kids see that, then I think that it makes them think again. But again, I think that you might be right from the standpoint of some kids don't want to commit to that."
There's been no such problems with this season's Mizzou squad. The Tigers have been a cohesive team and everybody has accepted their roles.
"I think it's something easy to accept, because we all have a good bond with each other," said Denmon, one of six Tigers with 30 or more steals despite averaging only 17.1 minutes per contest. "We've jelled together as a team and everyone knows that as long as you contribute in any way, whether it's for one minute or for 30 minutes, the team is going to be successful and coach has everyone buying into it."
Ithaca Journal
March 20, 2009
BOISE, Idaho — Missouri packs so much pressure with its "40 minutes of hell" style that sometimes it seems the Tigers have more than five players on the court.
So Cornell coach Steve Donahue found the perfect way to cope with the Tigers' style of play in recent practices: He had his starting unit practice against six players.
"There's really no way to do that except add bodies," Donahue said Thursday before a light workout at Taco Bell Arena. " ... It's very hard to simulate just the pace of the game that Missouri presents. It's extremely difficult to do that."
Guards Louis Dale and Adam Gore said the five-on-six workouts went well, but the real test will be today when the Big Red is on the same court as Missouri.
"We just have to make sure that we don't play into their hands of speeding ourselves up and rushing our style of play," Gore said. "I think we just kind of need to play at our own pace and realize that if we do that, we'll be OK."
Added Dale: "We've just got to be ball tough and execute passes and come meet the ball. I think that we can do a great job if we just make sure that we do those things and not turn the ball over."
The frenetic pace the Tigers play is a testament to the depth on the team. Missouri uses 11 players and only three starters average more than 23 minutes per contest.
That leaves plenty of playing time for bench players such as freshman guards Marcus Denmon and Kim English and junior forward Keith Ramsey.
"(Our bench is) real valuable, especially in the first half because our starters won't get tired and their starters will," said Ramsey, the team's leading shot blocker (29) despite averaging just 14 minutes per game. "We keep on coming at you first half and second half."
Tigers coach Mike Anderson has always favored fast-paced attacks and relied on deep benches in his seven seasons at the helm, the last three at Missouri. Anderson was on Nolan Richardson's staff at Arkansas and the Razorbacks won the 1994 national championship with a similar approach.
So recruiting the type of players who understand that the pace provides ample opportunities for everyone is something he's been doing for a long time. He also knows that not every player will accept being a reserve.
"Playing 28 minutes the way we play, you are getting quality minutes, not just quantity minutes," said Anderson, who coached Alabama-Birmingham to three straight NCAA appearances before leaving for Missouri. "It's the equivalent probably of 38 minutes for somebody else.
"And I think when kids see that, then I think that it makes them think again. But again, I think that you might be right from the standpoint of some kids don't want to commit to that."
There's been no such problems with this season's Mizzou squad. The Tigers have been a cohesive team and everybody has accepted their roles.
"I think it's something easy to accept, because we all have a good bond with each other," said Denmon, one of six Tigers with 30 or more steals despite averaging only 17.1 minutes per contest. "We've jelled together as a team and everyone knows that as long as you contribute in any way, whether it's for one minute or for 30 minutes, the team is going to be successful and coach has everyone buying into it."
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