Ask the Enemy

It takes a different breed of athlete to succeed in Anderson’s system, a breed of athlete that guys like Marshall Brown and Vaidotus Volkus simply weren’t. And, yes, I just dropped a Volkus reference. The guys Anderson has brought in have athleticism to spare, which is nice to have when your rotation runs 11 deep.

Furthermore, chemistry and morale can be overplayed and overstated in some circumstances, but the atmosphere in the locker room this year is like night and day compared to 2007-08. It shows on the floor.

Carroll and Lyons are obviously the keys that turn the locks, so to speak, and Missouri will have some serious holes in the paint when their eligibility is up. All of the other pieces appear to be in place for an upswing. But, while Anderson has recruited A LOT of athleticism and length in his big guys (Keith Ramsey and Laurence Bowers), they’re still very much an unknown quantity offensively. I have little reservation about the perimeter shooting – freshmen Kim English and Marcus Denmon have added a major presence from outside (Denmon’s streaky lights out shooting has drawn comparisons to Clarence Gilbert). The cogs to run Missouri’s style of defense appears to be in place for the longterm – replacing the offense of Carroll and Lyons should determine Mizzou’s viability in future years.

Anderson’s obviously got a lot of ties to the state of Alabama. He was asked about the position when it came open, and while he played the “we’re focused on Mizzou basketball” card, he never really flat out denied anything.

If I had to wager, I’d lean toward his staying, but you won’t see me putting any money on it.

Mizzou’s best asset is that the scoring can come from anywhere. They’ll funnel the offense through Carroll and Lyons early on to try to get them established, but you never really know who is going to go off.

Slow down those two, then all of the sudden looks open up for English from the corner. Overcommit on him and lanes open up for Tiller and Taylor to drive. Seal the lanes, and then Matt Lawrence and Marcus Denmon find openings for three off the bench, if they’re “on” that day (both are incredibly streaky).

Offensively, DeMarre and Leo have gotten their points against whomever if they’re on their game. Both have the ability to pull people away from the basket, as the two of them have become semi-automatic from about 15 feet.

Defensively, the two haven’t been bad, but they also haven’t been seriously tested. The one big physical presence I can remember Mizzou facing – UT’s Dexter Pittman – went OFF on Mizzou. Missouri’s matchup zone really keeps balls out of the lane, and passing inside invites Missouri’s hands to start flying and the “organized chaos” to really kick in.