COLUMBIA, MO. • For one night, the magic returned to Mizzou Arena.
The house wasn’t quite full as sections were speckled with Kentucky blue, but during another capsized season with a postseason coaching change seemingly more inevitable by the week, Missouri recaptured the atmosphere, the energy, the fun of Tigers basketball for nearly 40 minutes.
But like so many times under Kim Anderson’s watch, Mizzou’s best wasn’t good enough, not against No. 11 Kentucky and John Calipari’s collection of future millionaires. With their 72-62 victory, the Wildcats stayed locked with Florida in a first-place tie in the Southeastern Conference, but on this night, nothing came easy for the boys in blue.