More Previews of Cornell v. Mizzou

Yes, some more previews of today's game. Pictured above, Louis Dale at practice yesterday in Boise.

A preview from ESPN.com:

Missouri (28-6) vs. Cornell (21-9)

Missouri coach Mike Anderson has shown the national championship ring he won while an assistant at Arkansas just twice -- once when he was hired and once prior to the championship game of the Big 12 tournament. The allure of the bling was enough to bring home Missouri's first-ever Big 12 title, and the shine hasn't faded as Missouri heads into its first NCAA tournament since 2003.

"In order to get something," Anderson said, "you've got to be able to see it."

The Tigers are heavily favored over Cornell, which made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 20 years last year against Stanford. The Big Red lost that game 77-53, but are hoping for a better result this time around. Cornell players acknowledge that won't be easy against Missouri's full-court pressure style. The Tigers' high-pressure defense tends to wear opponents down especially in the second half. Missouri has outscored opponents 89-87 in the first half, but 132-92 in the second.

Cornell has tried to simulate Missouri's style by practicing against a sixth man on defense.

"I think it's a focus that we just have to make sure that we don't play into their hands of speeding ourselves up and rushing our style of play," senior guard Adam Gore said. "I think we kind of need to play at our own pace and realize that if we do that we'll be OK."

From PowerMizzou.com:

BOISE, ID--The Missouri Tigers are in the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years. Mizzou tips against the Cornell Big Red at approximately 1 p.m. local time this afternoon. Missouri comes into the game 28-and-6, winners of the Big 12 tournament title and the third seed in the West Region. Cornell is 21-and-9 and the Ivy League champ, seeded 14th in the region.

Three Things You Need to Know About the Big Red

Dialing Long Distance: Cornell is one of the most accurate three-point shooting teams in the nation, hitting just more than 41% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Leading the way is Ryan Wittman, who shot 41.9% from the three-point line and made 93 shots from beyond the arc/ Geoff Reeves hit 50 triples, but has been hobbled by an injury most of the year.

At Full Strength: Cornell played the first quarter of the season without standout point guard Louis Dale. Dale did not play in losses to Siena, Indiana or Syracuse. He returned for a game against Minnesota, but was not at full strength and battled foul trouble while the Big Red lost to the Gophers. After the game against the Gophers, Cornell stood 4-and-5. With a healthy Dale, they finished 17-4. Missouri is familiar with Dale. His grandfather worked at UAB and Mike Anderson tried to recruit the Cornell star..

Man in the Middle: The guards make them go, but the Ivy League champs have a formidable force in the middle as well. Seven-footer Jeff Foote started 29 of the Big Red's 30 games this season and averaged 29 minutes a night. Foote averages 7.1 rebounds and more than two blocks per game. He is mobile to an extent, but isn't going to match the athleticism of Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll. This could provide for an entertaining matchup.

Three Keys to the Game

Overcome the Nerves: It should be expected that the Tigers may come out a little tight. They've never been in this situation before. Like it or not, things are different when you step on the court for an NCAA tournament game. The Tigers can afford to be tight for five or ten minutes. They can't afford to be tight for 25 or 30.

Defend the Perimeter: Mizzou did this very well all season long, led by J.T. Tiller and Zaire Taylor. The Tigers led the Big 12 by a comfortable margin in three-point field goal defense. If Cornell is going to hang around, they're going to do it on the strength of the three-point shot. If the Big Red doesn't hit a good percentage from beyond the arc, it simply cannot win.

Over at Half: Missouri's strength is the second half and has been all year long. In most games, if the Tigers are close at halftime, they're in great shape. But today needs to be different. In the tournament, the longer you let an underdog hang around, the better chance you have of losing. Missouri needs to put a run on in the first half and be up double digits at the break. If the Tigers are, they won't lose. The longer they lot Cornell hang around, the better the chance a big shot or two can change the outcome.

Official Prediction: It may not start out as a thing of beauty. But three seeds are 82-15 in the first round in this tournament after last night. There's a reason for that. Missouri is, simply, a much better team. Cornell can't match the athleticism of Carroll and Lyons down low, and they haven't seen defense out top like that Tiller and Taylor will play. Missouri should roll 82-65.