Tigers find winning form

AMES, Iowa — There had been something missing, and opinions differed on what it was.

Marshall Brown had been saying hunger. His coach, Mike Anderson, said both toughness and aggressiveness.

Undoubtedly, those opinions and more were all shared in a prolonged meeting after Missouri lost to Nebraska on Saturday. While nobody would actually say what was shared, the Tigers agreed it was an emotional gathering. In their six conference losses, some Tigers said they had gotten away from what they call “Tiger basketball.” It’s a style that is supposed to wear down and out-hustle the opponent.

“He (Anderson) was basically saying we can’t feel sorry for ourselves because nobody else is,” Brown said of the Saturday meeting. “We’ve got a lot of basketball to play and nothing’s determined yet so we still got a lot of games left.”

On Tuesday in Ames, whatever was said in the meeting was remembered.

Led by Kalen Grimes’ 12 points and nine rebounds plus Stefhon Hannah’s 15 points and seven rebounds, the Tigers routed Iowa State 77-55. It was the first win for the Tigers in Ames since Feb. 8, 1999, in what was Norm Stewart’s last season as Missouri coach. More importantly for this year’s Tigers, they also found a way to, at least temporarily, solve some of the problems that caused their recent losses.

“We weren’t necessarily (ticked) off, but the word I keep using is hungry,” Brown said. “I mean, we were getting every loose ball, we were making shots. Like I said, I talk about the little things all the time. I think we did all the little things to win the game.”

They outrebounded the Cyclones 37-30. Instead of allowing a clearly inferior Cyclones team to stay close, Missouri (14-8, 3-6 Big 12) outscored Iowa State 46-29 in the second half. The last time these teams played, the Tigers allowed Iowa State (12-11, 3-6 Big 12) to rally from a 16-point deficit to win 66-65.

“It felt so good (to run up the score),” freshman Keon Lawrence said. “Coach (Anderson) told us not to let up, and we weren’t going to let up. We played with poise, we battled for loose balls and rebounds.”

If there was one player who represented all of what Anderson wants to see out of his team, it was Marcus Watkins. A senior, Watkins is one of the Tigers more seldom-used players.

When he gets in, it’s usually only for brief spurts just to give some of his teammates a rest. But against the Cyclones, Watkins contributed more than just a few minutes. He gave the Tigers energy.

“Marcus Watkins came in and gave us some of those tough minutes you got to have,” Anderson said.

In 12 minutes of play, Watkins scored six points and had four rebounds. But his impact on the game was deeper than just numbers. Watkins ended up on the floor at least three times after scrambling for loose balls. He forced a held-ball and also got two steals. It was exactly the kind of play Anderson wants from his players, and probably what the Tigers needed after Saturday.

“He brought the intensity,” guard Stefhon Hannah said. “Marcus really stepped up. I mean, he came out, he was trying to get every loose ball, he was diving on the floor and everybody else just fed off that, like ‘OK, let’s go.’ It motivated everybody else.”

Watkins also appreciated what he had done.

“My name got called early and I just did what I could,” Watkins said. “I think if one guy does it (hustles), it will spark the whole team and give energy to the whole team. I guess that’s part of my role, to try to spark the team and get loose balls.”

This game, Hannah acknowledged, may have been Missouri’s last chance to make anything of this season. Entering their game against rival Kansas at 2-7 in the Big 12 and on a three-game losing streak would not have been an ideal situation for the Tigers. And Hannah knew it.

“We gotta play every game like it’s our last,” Hannah said. “For real, ‘cause we got no tomorrow. We’re trying to do some good things here, we gotta play hard, we gotta play together. I mean, we gotta play just Missouri basketball.

“I ain’t saying it’s a must win, it’s just, for us, we’re like a cat, we got nine lives. And we on our eighth. We got one more left.”

Recognizing that another comeback win against Missouri wasn’t going to happen, the fans at Hilton Coliseum began to leave with under five minutes left in the second half. Instead of watching the final minutes of what turned into a blowout, they chose to walk to their cars and endure the below-freezing temperatures combined with a stinging wind. Conversely, Hannah said Missouri’s trip home was going to be a little more joyous.

“Man, we’re going to be happy,” Hannah said. “We might have a victory song or something.”