Entering the 2012 NCAA Tournament, Mizzou fans and alumni (such as myself) had ample reasons to be excited. The feisty Tigers capped off a school-best 27-4 regular season record by winning by Big 12 Tournament. Equipped with a No. 3 ranking and a sprinkling of first-place votes, the squad entered the Big Dance with big dreams.
Fans rejoiced when several prognosticators predicted deep runs for the team. Even President Barack Obama saw something special in Frank Haith’s crew and predicted the first Final Four birth in school history. We gladly forked over $4 to the stream the tourney on our phones, iPads and laptops to ensure we wouldn’t miss a minute of the glorious run. We filled out our brackets gleefully and waited for history to happen.
Unfortunately, the Tigers left its team defense and rebounding effort back home in Columbia and were bounced out of the first-round by lowly Norfolk State.
Ouch.
To make matters worse, my favorite non-Missouri ballclub, Duke, was equally stunned in its opening round game. The losses not only massacred our brackets, but nearly shattered our interest in the remaining tournament.
Of course SLU’s defeat over Memphis was a cheerful moment and, weeping aside, the team’s valiant effort vs. No. 1 seed Michigan State made us proud. But the loss that crushed the Tigers’ spirit worse than the infamous “Fifth-Down” and Tyus Edney moments meant our final collective hope was for an embarrassing loss by the hated Kansas Jayhawks.
Now those pesky blue birds are destined to taunt us to the very end. With each resounding victory, Bill Self and his squad continue to rub salt in our nasty wounds. To make matters worse, the team earned its gazillionth Final Four birth right here in St. Louis. Talk about disrespect.
Talk about dejection.
But alas, Tiger nation, all hope is not lost. Saturday, Missouri will become Buckeye Nation for a day. Together we will shoot rays of ill-will at every Jayhawk shot. We will root for players we know nothing about as if they were our own.
Should KU prevail, we’ll hang our last hope on a devastating loss in the championship. Watching our enemies get close enough to sample the savory taste of victory only to have it ripped away and replaced by bitter defeat would serve as a saving grace for our lost season.
Despite the disappointment, Mizzou will move forward with a bright future in the SEC. But I must admit, with KU seemingly intent on ending the rivalry due to our departure, I’ll miss rooting vigorously against the Jayhawks whenever their run is over.
We Tigers fans have no shame in our sour grapes. The rivalry will remain bitter until the end. Thomas Robinson and company have two chances to salvage our season. As honorable haters, let’s not wish them harm – only failure.
Rope. Choke. Jayhoax!
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