Same ol’ Mizzou. That’s what it felt like — same ol’ Mizzou, the Tigers who just can’t pull it off, who let an important win slip out of their hands, who turn “Mizzou” into a verb.
Their game Saturday ended suddenly and sourly and with scrutiny. It still was a really good season. And coach Cuonzo Martin should keep his job, although Twitter sure tried to fire him Saturday night. But the No. 9-seeded Tigers lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, yet again, this time falling 72-68 to No. 8 Oklahoma. Mizzou hasn’t won a tournament game in more than a decade.
How did it end? The Indiana kid who was shooting like Jimmy Chitwood in “Hoosiers” dribbled the ball across half court in his home state, 15 seconds left, down by three points. But Mizzou’s Dru Smith passed the ball with eight seconds left — and never touched it again on the possession.
