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Dennis Murphy

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Tigers topple Kansas State, stretch winning streak to six Adam Buckallew, Corner Post Staff

February 29, 2004 - The Missouri Tigers have endured the trials and tribulations of a NCAA investigation, a mid-season slump and the departure of its third point guard in as many seasons, yet the have Tigers remained optimistic. Even as some fans began to boo and criticism mounted, the Tigers would not give up. ESPN's Dick Vitale called Missouri one of the major disappointments of college basketball this season.

Following Missouri's loss to Nebraska, the Tigers were all but left for dead. The Tigers had fallen to 9-10 overall, and the season seemed to be a lost cause. To add to the mountain of problems facing the Tigers, freshman forward Linas Kleiza was out for the season to shoulder surgery and senior reserve Josh Kroenke was also injured. Point guard Randy Pulley was also missing after being dismissed from the team.

Forced to work with a short lineup, Coach Quin Snyder found the grit and determination he had been searching for all season.The beginning of the current streak started when the Tigers avenged a loss to Big 12 foe Colorado. Missouri then proceeded to dismantle its next opponent, UNLV. Missouri won that game 94-60, its largest margin of victory this season.

""We have had a lot of rebirths this year," Snyder said. "We just have to keep improving, and for us we need to focus on the things we can control and not the things that we cannot control."

The Tigers did continue to improve and picked up two more victories in the conference defeating Iowa State and Baylor. This led the streaking Tigers to a match-up with Oklahoma State, who at the time was ranked sixth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and was also the leader in Big 12 conference play. Oklahoma State had defeated all Big 12 opponents except Missouri. The Tigers responded to the challenge and played their best game of the season in a 93-92 overtime thriller. Seniors Ricky Paulding and Arthur Johnson led the way with 60 combined points. Paulding and Johnson seemed to finally be playing like the preseason All-Americans they were tabbed to be.

"We've been talking about (stepping it up) the whole year," Johnson said. "Now it's starting to pay off a little bit, and we've just got to keep it going. This is a crucial time of year."

Missouri used their momentum to topple their sixth straight opponent Saturday at Kansas State. The Tigers rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat the Wildcats 79-69. The win improved Missouri's record to 15-10 overall and 9-5 in the Big 12.

"Our team right now is finding some chemistry," Snyder said. "We've had five different guys lead us in scoring the last five games. That's just a testament to how unselfish our team is."

Many of the Tiger players have stepped up their game during the win streak, but one player in particular stands out. Junior guard Jason Conley, a transfer from VMI, has provided the Tigers with a spark that has ignited a renewed sense of intensity and passion in their play. Conley had struggled earlier in the season when his play was limited by inexperience with the team and strep-throat, however, during Missouri's streak Conley has averaged 15.8 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.

"This has been a team effort," Conley said. "I'm around a great group of guys. They feed off of me and I feed off of them and that's how the game is played."

The Tigers have only two remaining games on their schedule. A game at Texas Tech and the final game to be played in the Hearnes Center versus Kansas. If the Tigers win both games they would be one of the hottest teams in the country heading into post-season play.

"It was tough when we were going through everything in the beginning of the season," Paulding said. "I think we're really coming along now. We're making the best of what we have, and it's turning out great."

Editor's Note: Some quotes in this story are included courtesy of the University of Missouri Department of Athletics.

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