Missouri wins Big 12 before heading to SEC

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – It seemed as if everybody was rooting against Missouri, the school that nearly brought the Big 12 to ruin, and you can be sure coach Frank Haith and the rest of the Tigers heard them.

They made sure to leave a lasting impression on their way to the SEC.

Kim English capped a phenomenal conference tournament with 19 points, Phil Pressey added 15 points and eight assists, and the fifth-ranked Tigers beat No. 12 Baylor 90-75 on Saturday night to win their second championship in the past four years.

“Obviously, it’s special. To win championships is just special,” Haith said. “We didn’t win the regular-season championship, but we won a conference tournament championship.”

English wound up 29 of 40 from the field in a virtuoso performance in Kansas City and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Michael Dixon added 17 points for the Tigers (30-4) while Ricardo Ratliffe and Marcus Denmon finished with 15 each.

“Kim’s play was unbelievable all weekend,” Denmon said. “He really carried us.”

Missouri’s decision to leave for the Southeastern Conference after this season drew outrage from fans of opposing teams, and all the fans from nine other schools that flocked to the Sprint Center seemed to be rooting hard against the school from just down Interstate 70.

Thousands of fans clad in black and gold in turn booed interim Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas when he gave away the trophy, and chants of “SEC! SEC!” arose in the closing minutes.

“There were roughly 18,000 people here – it was packed. I would suggest 17,000 of those people were in black and gold,” Missouri athletic director Mike Alden said. “So to suggest that Kansas City, Mo., is a Mizzou town, I can assure you, it absolutely was proof positive today.”

Perry Jones III led Baylor (27-7) with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Brady Heslip scored 14, and Deuce Bello came off the bench to add 13 for the Bears, who were again turned away a win short of their first conference tournament title since 1950.

The teams waged two memorable games during the regular season, Missouri coming out on top both times. The first was an 89-88 victory in Waco, Tecas, in January, when the Tigers made 10 free throws in the closing minute to hold off a furious rally. The second was a 15-point win in Columbia, Mo., a game that was nip-and-tuck until the Tigers’ second-half charge.

This one wound up being a bit more like the second meeting.

The teams traded blows throughout the first half – Denmon or English would knock down a 3-pointer, Jones or Quincy Miller would find a way to work inside for a matching bucket. The lead never reached double figures even though Missouri threatened it.

It wasn’t until the final minutes before the half, when Denmon knocked down a jumper and Pressey made two foul shots, that Missouri had some breathing room.