MU men's basketball team nicked up at Big 12 tournament

KANSAS CITY – The Missouri men's basketball team exited the Sprint Center emotionally beat up Wednesday after wilting against last-place Nebraska in the first round of the Big 12 tournament. The Tigers won the tournament a year ago.

Several Missouri players also left the tournament physically nicked up, though it seems only one of the injuries will affect the Tigers going forward.

Steve Moore landed face-first on a camera on the Sprint Center floor after leaping to save a ball from going out of bounds in the first half. He rolled on the floor for half-a-minute holding the sides of his head with both hands.

Moore didn’t return until the game’s final 30 seconds with Nebraska up by double-digits. After the game, he said his jaw hurt and that it still stung but that he would be fine.

In the second half, J.T. Tiller sat on the bench and grabbed his left leg, grimacing in pain. Tiller said he caught his knee against a Nebraska player but that he also would be OK.

For Laurence Bowers, Wednesday's game was his first playing with a recently re-injured left wrist. Bowers wore a splint on the heavily-taped wrist, which he re-aggravated during practice Monday after catching a pass from J.T. Tiller. He first injured it midway through the season.

Bowers told the Kansas City Star the injury is “major” but that it won’t keep him out of any of Missouri’s remaining games.

“It was just a bad sprain and it just got re-aggravated in practice,” Bowers said after the game. “I just got to deal with it. I can’t afford to go down. We already have a player out. Justin Safford was a key part of our basketball team.

“I just got to battle through it and learn how to play with this splint that I’m playing with.”

Safford hasn't played since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Feb. 24.