Buckeyes Fall To Missouri, 83-67, In NCAA Second Round – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 16, 2002%^$
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By PETE HERRERA
AP Sports Writer%^$
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – The only hit Missouri took Saturday was to Kareem%^$Rush’s already stitched-up lip.%^$
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Rush and the Tigers did a lot more damage to Ohio State.%^$
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Unranked heading to the NCAA tournament and lightly regarded by the%^$selection committee, 12th-seeded Missouri put on another dazzling display of%^$offensive punch and rebounding power in an 83-67 upset of the No. 4 Buckeyes in%^$the West Regional.%^$
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Now the Tigers are playing like the team that opened the season 9-0 and was%^$ranked No. 2 in the polls in December. And coach Quin Snyder says they might%^$not have peaked yet.%^$
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“Right now, this is an incredibly hungry team,” Snyder said. “Every game%^$we play, we’ve got a chance to get better.”%^$
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Missouri (23-11) moves into the round of 16 for the first time since 1994.%^$No 12th-seeded team ever has gone beyond the regional semifinals.%^$
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Ohio State guard Brian Brown, who led the Buckeyes with 19 points, said%^$Missouri could go much deeper in this tournament.%^$
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“Those guys are dangerous because they’re unconscious,” Brown said. “They%^$shoot the ball whenever they feel like it.”%^$
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Rush didn’t seem bothered by a nasty cut on his lip that required 21%^$stitches to close. He had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Rickey Paulding%^$scored 20 points and also had nine boards.%^$
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Rush was cut Thursday in Missouri’s first surprise of the tourney, a 93-80%^$victory over fifth-seeded Miami.%^$
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On Saturday, he was fouled and took another shot to the mouth with just over%^$4 minutes left. He hit the floor, got up and checked for blood. He shrugged off%^$the hit and proceeded to hit the two free throws.%^$
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“Yeah it hurt,” Rush said, “but my teammates said ‘Don’t let them see you%^$hurt.’ It’s just a busted lip. As long as you don’t think about it, it doesn’t%^$come into play.”%^$
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Missouri dominated the boards with a 52-28 advantage that included 18 at the%^$offensive end.%^$
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“We talked about rebounding like it was the front of a battle,” Snyder%^$said. “We got in our fox hole.”%^$
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One of those offensive rebounds was Paulding’s tip-in basket at the end of%^$the first half that put the Tigers up 47-27. With the Missouri fans on their%^$feet, Paulding walked off the floor with his hands raised.%^$
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“We were beaten by a much better team,” Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien said.%^$”They were quicker and they dominated the backboards.”%^$
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The Tigers took control by hitting 18 of 37 shots in the first half. Ohio%^$State alternated going from a man-to-man defense to a zone, but it didn’t slow%^$Missouri.%^$
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“We wanted to break the defense down before we took a shot.” Snyder said,%^$adding that his players “were trying to rebound each other’s misses instead of%^$assuming they are going to get the shot.”%^$
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Big Ten conference tournament champion Ohio State (24-8) never mounted a%^$threat in the second half. The Buckeyes shot just 35.5 percent.%^$
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Clarence Gilbert added 16 points, and Arthur Johnson 14 for Missouri.%^$Gilbert scored 13 points in the final 8 minutes of the first half and led an%^$18-4 run that put the Tigers up 41-23.%^$
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The Tigers are playing so well they’ve trailed for a total of only 44%^$seconds in their two NCAA games.%^$
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With 14:21 left Saturday, Gilbert hobbled to the Missouri bench nursing his%^$left ankle. The ankle was retaped, and Gilbert made a 3-pointer moments after%^$re-entering the game to give the Tigers a 63-39 lead.%^$
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Brown’s short jumper 16 seconds into the game gave the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead,%^$the only time Missouri has trailed in the tournament. Missouri center Arthur%^$Johnson hit consecutive layups, and just 1:24 in, the Tigers were in front to%^$stay.
