Missouri loses heartbreaker to Florida, heads to Arkansas next

At the end of Saturday’s Mizzou-Florida basketball game, the black-clad crowd at Mizzou Arena braced for a big moment. Florida had just tied the game at 75 with two free throws after a controversial foul call, but Missouri had the ball with :17 to go. They could hold for the last shot. After a timeout, they were doing just that. The “Blackout” crowd stood and waited, hoping for a moment they’d remember for a long time.

They got one. As Tiger point guard Jordan Geist tried to pass the ball to Kassius Robertson at the top of the key, Florida defender Chris Chiozza darted in front and stole the ball away. Chiozza raced down the court by himself as the crowd gasped or shouted “No!” He made a layup in the final second to give Florida a stunning 77-75 win. End scene.

It was a brutal loss, because of that final play, because Missouri lost another lead in the closing minutes, and because Florida is a good team and this would have been a huge boost to the Tigers’ NCAA Tournament resume.

And sure, there were several shaky-at-best foul calls. It helps mentally with college basketball to just accept that it’s a tough game to officiate, and many games are poorly officiated. Missouri certainly could’ve won anyway, but Tiger fans were extra riled up. After the game, Cuonzo Martin chose his words carefully to avoid getting fined, but he indicated it was as upset as he’s ever been about the officiating.

Add this to the angst: Had Missouri (11-4, 1-1 in SEC play through Sunday) won, they would’ve been tied with Auburn at the top of the Southeastern Conference standings. Florida (11-4, 3-0 in SEC)) is an SEC title contender. This would’ve been a huge win for the Tigers.

With point guard Blake Harris transferring, Missouri will lean even more on Geist. He had a pretty solid game, despite that last play. Jordan Barnett had 28 points and made 8 of his 13 shots, including scoring 6-for-9 on threes.

Now, the show goes on. The Tigers host Georgia on Wednesday (8 p.m. on ESPN2) and then travel to Arkansas on Saturday (5 p.m. on ESPN2).

The trip to Fayetteville is another big game, as the SEC appears to have a solid number of decent teams. Arkansas (11-4, 1-2 in SEC through Sunday) again is pretty tough to beat at home and much more manageable on the road. Coach Mike Anderson, who coached Missouri the last time the Tigers won an NCAA Tournament game, has a team that looks like they’ll make the Big Dance. Arkansas’ massive Bud Walton Arena was rocking for their SEC opener, and it should be pretty lively on Saturday.

The Hogs have four players averaging more than 10 points per game, led by senior guard Jaylen Barford at 18.9 points per game.

This will be a tough game for Missouri to win, but after letting one get away Saturday, maybe they can reel in a win.