Members of the Missouri Tigers celebrate their Big 12 championship
The Missouri Tigers won the Big 12 Tournament and are leaving the conference as champions. Kim English, the tournament’s most outstanding player, scored 19 points to cap an amazing weekend performance in a 90-75 win over the Baylor Bears.
English shot 29 of 40 over the three game tournament, leading four Tigers in double figures. After a rough start, Michael Dixon finished with 17 and Ricardo Ratliffe and Marcus Denmon scored 15.
The Tigers never trailed in this game and found good offensive balance all night to off-set Baylor dominance on the boards. Early on, English and Denmon would hot from the outside and those two were perhaps the biggest question marks. Denmon went 0 for 10 in the semifinal against Texas and English was hobbled by a sore quad that he termed as “tight” when I asked him during pregame warmups.
While Mizzou hit from outside, Baylor attacked inside, winning second and third chances in the paint with Perry Jones III scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Missouri took a 43-37 halftime lead and built it to as many as 14 just four minutes into the second half. Baylor would try multiple times to get the lead to fewer than double digits, but each time the Tigers responded.
As the clock started to wind down, chants of “S-E-C, S-E-C,” rained down from the pro Mizzou crowd. As the Tigers collected their Big 12 trophy, they started the chant of “1-seed.” After the game, Kim English said it was more about respect for a program that is 30-4, then looking for an easy path to the NCAA championship.
AUDIOÂ Mizzou postgame (13:00)
