South Padre pre-game

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEX.

Deep in the heart of Texas, a couple of the deepest college basketball teams you'll find anywhere are getting ready to tip here at the South Padre Island Invitational.

The Missourri basketball media notes make much of the fact that the Tigers have 10 players averaging at least 14.7 minutes per game. Old Dominion, no slouch in that department either, has 10 players averaging at least 11 minutes.

Both teams substitute in waves. Missouri's scrambling, trapping style, dubbed "The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball" requires a constant infusion of fresh legs to run at peak efficiency. Thus far, the Tigers have come close to that standard, forcing 25 turnovers a game and turning those into 35 points per contest. MIzzou set a school record with 24 steals against Chattanooga the other night, and is averaging 18  steals per game.

The challenge for ODU is to not turn the ball over, and not get caught up in the frenetic style the Tigers prefer to play. The Monarchs have done a good job this season of "sharing the handle" as coach Blaine Taylor says, using different players - even big men like Gerald Lee and Frank Hassell - to bring the ball up court.

Taylor is familiar with Missouri coach Mike Anderson's style of play. The Monarchs played his UAB team several years ago.

"It's an engaging kind of style to play against," Taylor said. "I was joking that I ought to have practice and put some rap music on at about 1,000 decibels to make sure the guys slow their brains down a little bit because it'll be a frenetic game."

"We know they want to speed us up and come after us," point guard Darius James said.

-- Ed Miller

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