Missouri

Mike Anderson was hired as Missouri's men's basketball coach yesterday, taking over after Quin Snyder's resignation last month. Anderson, who led Alabama-Birmingham to a 24-9 record and an NCAA tournament appearance this season, is the first black head coach hired on a permanent basis in a major sport at Missouri. He is a former assistant to Nolan Richardson at Arkansas and played for Richardson at Tulsa. As coach at UAB for four years, Anderson put together an 89-41 record with three NCAA tourney appearances.

Just as it did last season and the one before that, Missouri brought its A-game out of the cobwebs for Kansas. Playing with a dislocated shoulder, sixth man Tyron Lee hit two free throws with 11.4 seconds to play as the host Tigers upset the No. 3 Jayhawks for the third straight time at home, winning, 74-73, last night. "They're a top 10 team when we play them, in this building at least," Kansas guard Ryan Robertson said. "It's unfortunate for them that they can't duplicate that performance every time they step out on the floor.

Alabama thought it would have to contend with Missouri's towering twins in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. With one of them suspended, 6-10 center Roy Rogers easily sent the Crimson Tide into the third round. Rogers had 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks last night as Alabama beat the visiting Tigers, 72-49. The Tide advanced to tomorrow night's game at South Carolina, which beat Vanderbilt, 80-70. The winner heads to the tournament semifinals in New York.

Mike Anderson is returning to Arkansas to become the Razorbacks' basketball coach. The school confirmed the move last night. Anderson leaves Missouri after five seasons to return to the school where he was an assistant to Nolan Richardson for 17 seasons. He replaces John Pelphrey, who was fired on March 13. "Under Mike's leadership, I am confident the Razorbacks will be successful in the future on and off the court," Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said in a statement.

It wasn't as if Memphis coach John Calipari had forgotten what freshman guard Tyreke Evans could do once the season started. Evans, who played at American Christian Academy in Aston, came to Memphis as one of the nation's most-heralded recruits. Still, Calipari was cautious about asking Evans to step into the point-guard spot vacated by last year's freshman sensation, Derrick Rose, who led the Tigers to the national championship game against Kansas and then became the top pick in the NBA draft.

Rooster Cogburn had it. So does Missouri, perhaps the ugliest, least appreciated, most maligned No. 1 seed ever to lurch within one victory of the Final Four. But true grit can mask a great many flaws, as the Tigers did in their 98-88, overtime victory over fourth-seeded Syracuse last night in an NCAA West Regional semifinal game at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. Missouri plays Arizona tomorrow afternoon for the West championship and a ticket to the Final Four in Charlotte, N.C. "The main thing is that our team has a lot of grit," Missouri coach Norm Stewart said after the latest in a long line of improbable successes.

OMAHA, Neb. - Welcome to the NCAA tournament, Norfolk State. Might as well stick around a while. Kyle O'Quinn had 26 points and 14 rebounds, making several key plays in the closing minutes, and the gritty No. 15 seed Spartans held on through a tense final minute to topple second-seeded Missouri, 86-84, on Friday in the West Regional. Philadelphia native Pendarvis Williams, a former Public League standout at Bodine High who finished his college prep at the Hun School, added 20 points for the MEAC champion Spartans (26-9)

Two picture-perfect, one-handed lobs by Aaron Miles set up easy baskets by Christian Moody and J.R. Giddens, and all of a sudden there seemed little doubt that No. 3 Kansas would rally to beat Missouri. Giddens' bucket gave Kansas a nine-point lead - after trailing by eight at halftime. It got the crowd screaming and sent the host Jayhawks rolling to a 73-61 victory over their archrival last night. "I was sitting on the bench, but I was yelling my lungs out," said Wayne Simien, who had 22 points and eight rebounds.

A charter plane carrying Missouri players to the game at Nebraska went off the runway in wet conditions last evening at Columbia (Mo.) Regional Airport. No one was injured in the mishap, which happened just after 5 p.m., said airport safety officer Robert Bias. "The pilot made a tight turn, and the left main gear slipped into the mud," Bias said. The plane was pulled out of the mud so passengers could reboard the Champion Air 727 last night, he said. Chad Moller, a spokesman for the Missouri athletic department, said the plane had been getting into position on the runway and moving at a very low speed.

NEW YORK - Villanova wasn't supposed to win last night at Madison Square Garden. So when the Wildcats, who had lost two of their previous three games, trailed 10th-ranked, unbeaten Missouri by 16 points with a little over 12 minutes to go in the first game of the Jimmy V Classic doubleheader, well, it seemed about right. But 11 minutes later the Wildcats were within seven, with the ball. A turnover coming out of a timeout when Maalik Wayns got trapped in the corner and threw a pass that sailed untouched into the backcourt, pretty much derailed their comeback.

WOODWARD, Okla. - Bleary-eyed residents were scouring through damaged homes across the Midwest on Sunday after a violent storm system unleashed dozens of overnight tornadoes, killing at least five people in Oklahoma, leveling homes in Iowa and Kansas, and cutting power to hundreds of thousands. More than 100 tornadoes had been reported across the region by daybreak, according to the National Weather Service. Although the storm system was weakening as it crawled into Arkansas and Missouri and additional tornadoes were unlikely, forecasters warned that strong thunderstorms were expected as far east as Michigan.

OMAHA, Neb. - No big upset this time. Kenny Boynton and Florida were just too good for Norfolk State Boynton scored 20 points and the balanced Gators routed the 15th-seeded Spartans 84-50 yesterday to reach the Round of 16. Norfolk State shook up the West Regional when it upset No. 2 seed Missouri 86-84 Friday, and was trying to become the first 15 seed to reach the fourth round. Florida (25-10) put a quick end to that idea, making five three-pointers during a 25-0 run that made it 29-6 midway through the first half.

AFTER AN historic first night when one team (Western Kentucky) overcame the largest last 5-minute deficit (16 points) and another (BYU) came back from the largest deficit (25 points) to win, followed by a Friday that included the unprecedented exacta of 15 over 2 that took out Missouri and Duke, rationality returned to the NCAA Tournament Saturday and yesterday. By the time last night's games ended, the Sweet 16 included 14 teams from five of the power conferences and along with the Atlantic 10's Xavier, a team that finally got it right after a season of getting it wrong and Ohio, a team from the long forgotten Mid-American Conference The Big Ten dominated, getting four through with a record of 9-2. The Big East is 11-5 after Cincinnati topped Florida State, 62-56.

So how are your brackets doing this morning? It's safe to say most of you have ripped up, tossed or maybe eaten your bracket following a historic Friday of the NCAA tournament when, for the first time ever, a 15th seed knocked off a No. 2 seed twice in the same day. First, it was Norfolk State, champion of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, shocking Big 12 titlist Missouri, 86-84, in Omaha, Neb. Less than three hours later, Lehigh, the...

OMAHA, Neb. - Welcome to the NCAA tournament, Norfolk State. Might as well stick around a while. Kyle O'Quinn had 26 points and 14 rebounds, making several key plays in the closing minutes, and the gritty No. 15 seed Spartans held on through a tense final minute to topple second-seeded Missouri, 86-84, on Friday in the West Regional. Philadelphia native Pendarvis Williams, a former Public League standout at Bodine High who finished his college prep at the Hun School, added 20 points for the MEAC champion Spartans (26-9)

WICHITA STATE will be one of those mid-major teams that will be a chic pick come NCAA Tournament time. The Shockers roll into their conference tourney riding an eight-game winning streak and full of so much confidence that coach Gregg Marshall called them "a well-oiled machine. " The Missouri Valley is one of three conferences beginning its postseason tonight. America East Regular-season champ: Stony Brook has won 11 of 12 and is the first America East wire-to-wire winner since Vermont in 2007.

Rodney McGruder scored 24 points and Kansas State upset No. 3 Missouri, 78-68, in Columbia, Mo., on Tuesday night. It was the second time this season the Wildcats (19-8, 8-7 Big 12) have beaten the Tigers (25-3, 12-3). Seton Hall 73, Georgetown 55 - Jordan Theodore scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Pirates (19-9, 8-8 Big East) to the signature win they needed for their NCAA tournament resumé, downing the No. 9 Hoyas (20-6, 10-5) in Newark. Univ. of the Sciences 66, Wilmington 64 - Garret Kerr hit a fadeaway jumper with 3.4 seconds left to give the Devils (6-19, 4-13 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference)

MARCUS DENMON scored 17 points to lead five teammates in double figures and No. 3 Missouri avenged an earlier defeat with an 83-65 rout over Oklahoma State last night. Ricardo Ratliffe and sixth-man Michael Dixon both had 15 points and Kim English and Phil Pressey scored 13 apiece for Missouri (24-2, 11-2 Big 12), which is tied with No. 4 Kansas for first place in the Big 12. Keiton Page led Oklahoma State (12-14, 5-8) with 23 points, but 14 of those came in the game's final 7 minutes once the outcome wasn't in doubt.

WASHINGTON - A resurgent Rick Santorum won Minnesota's Republican caucuses with ease Tuesday, relegating front-runner Mitt Romney to a distant third-place finish that raised fresh questions about his ability to attract ardent conservatives at the core of the GOP political base. Santorum was victorious, as well, in a nonbinding Missouri primary that was worth bragging rights but no delegates. Colorado held caucuses, too, with Santorum leading Romney in early returns. A jubilant Santorum declared to cheering supporters in St. Joseph, Mo.: "Conservatism is alive and well in Missouri and Minnesota!"

Top Choice Kansas at Missouri, Saturday at 9 p.m., ESPN: The fourth-ranked Tigers get the top dog of the Big 12 - the No. 8 Jayhawks - on their home court in this duel of high-scoring, hot-shooting teams. Missouri will rely on its long-range attack led by 6-foot-3 senior Marcus Dedmon, while Kansas will ride the excellent inside game of 6-9 junior Thomas Robinson, the nation's No. 2 rebounder (12.0 per game). Starting Five Ohio State at Wisconsin, Saturday at 2 p.m., ESPN: The No. 19 Badgers give up 49.5 points per game, fewest in the nation.