SportsLine.com Report
March 17, 2000

Round 1: Tigers get whipped inside, bow to Tar Heels

North Carolina center Brendan Haywood hadn't lived up to many expectations this season, but the lack of size in Missouri's roster brought the best out of the 7-foot center. Haywood, taking advantage of the Tigers' lineup with only two players taller than 6-foot-8, scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as UNC eliminated Missouri, 84-70, in Birmingham on March 17.

Missouri, which was led by Clarence Gilbert's 16 points, used a 10-0 run at the end of the first half to get within three at 44-41. From there, Haywood was the key, unstoppable for any of the Tigers in the paint.

"Haywood was the question and we didn't have the answer," Gilbert said.

The Tigers were in trouble right from the start as senior guard Jeff Hafer picked up two quick fouls and went to the bench just over a minute into the game. With Missouri hurt at guard, Carolina's Ed Cota had a strong game with 10 assists to move past 1,000 for his career, just the third player in NCAA history to do so.

How They Got Here

Missouri played itself into an NCAA bid thanks mostly to its ability to take care of business against teams it should beat. Still, Mizzou was still left sweating the selection process because it went 2-7 against ranked teams, with the victories coming against Illinois and Kansas.

Starting Lineup

• PG Keyon Dooling (6-3, 184, So.): Dooling is at his best when driving to the basket and either finishing himself -- he's an explosive dunker -- or drawing defenders and dishing. His 3-point shooting has improved from 29 percent last season to 37 percent this year, but his field-goal percentage has dropped to just .390.
• SG Clarence Gilbert (6-2, 197, So.): Streaky shooter who led Missouri to victories over Illinois and Kansas by making a combined 12-of-17 3-pointers in those games. He's also capable of shooting the Tigers out of games with outlandishly bad outings such as his 1-for-11 effort in a home loss to Oklahoma State.
• C Tajudeen Soyoye (6-9, 236, Jr.): Soyoye's importance to the team can be summed up with this stat -- MU is 13-1 when he plays 26 minutes or more and 4-10 when he doesn't. Foul trouble has been a constant problem. A natural power forward who has to play out of position in the post, Soyoye had trouble finishing in the paint late in the year.
• SF Kareem Rush (6-6, 214, Fr.): Rush, averaging 15.1 points a game, is one of the nation's best freshman and probably Mizzou's best offensive player. He's capable of taking opponents off the dribble or rising and hitting 3-pointers. He shot a blistering 52 percent from 3-point range in Big 12 play.
• PF Jeff Hafer (6-5, 212, Sr.): He's had to play way out of position at power forward and struggled at times to guard the 6-9 and 6-10 players he faces. Hafer has a solid all-around game and can occasionally hurt opponents from 3-point range, where he's made 36 percent of his attempts.

Keys to Success

Missouri needs to get at least a little production from its post players. Soyoye was competent at times earlier in the year -- outplaying Iowa's Jacob Jaacks and Kansas' Eric Chenowith -- but has slumped recently. He repeatedly missed point-blank shots in Missouri's last three games. When he's not in the game, MU has to go with 6-6 Johnnie Parker, who is a natural small forward, or 6-11 Pat Schumacher, who gathers almost one foul per minute.

To beat good teams, Missouri needs streak-shooting Clarence Gilbert to be hot. He's going to take his shots regardless, but if he's making them, he can keep Mizzou in games.

The Coach

With 17 wins in the regular season, Snyder tied the Missouri record for rookie coaches. Although it's his first season as a head coach, Snyder has a history of success in the NCAA Tournament as a player and assistant coach at Duke. He has been to five Final Fours. Missouri has never been that far.

By all accounts, Snyder has the respect and affection of his players, and has them playing hard. It remains to be seen if he can convince the Tigers, who haven't won an NCAA Tournament game since 1995, that they can be March winners.

The Bench

Missouri lost its dynamic sixth man when Rush moved into the starting lineup and none of the current reserves scores as many as eight points per game. In most cases, the reserves are just buying time for the starters to return.

Junior guard Brian Grawer entered the season as a career 48-percent 3-point shooter but has made just 32 percent this year. A natural small forward, Parker fills in at power forward and center by necessity. Josh Kroenke is a spot-up shooter, Justin Gage is a defensive specialist and Schumacher can provide a few minutes per game in the post.

Offense

Missouri led the Big 12 in scoring in conference games with a 78.9-point average. Almost half of its shots are 3-pointers. Four players have attempted more than 100 3s. ... The Tigers alternate between a motion offense and an extensive supply of set plays.

Defense

Missouri has good perimeter defenders in Dooling and Gilbert, but the Tigers are often overmatched by bigger frontcourt players. Mizzou is last in the league in rebounding margin. ... The Tigers primarily play tight man-to-man defense but will mix in a few possessions of zone every game as a change-up.