The Big 12 Tournament has officially wrapped up as the Missouri Tigers will leave the 12 and head to the SEC as conference champions. While chants of "S-E-C" won't ring harmonious to other Big 12 fans, but it does recognize that a school will truly be missed from its prior conference home. The internets were watching last night, and here are some reactions and commentary from the Big 12 final between Baylor and Missouri.
Rock M Nation (Missouri Tigers): Exactly one year ago today, Missouri was getting run out of the Sprint Center by Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament, a precursor to an extremely short stay in the NCAA Tournament. Twelve months, a controversial coaching search, and a potentially catastrophic Laurence Bowers injury later ... Missouri is 30-4 and winners of its second Big 12 Tournament title in four seasons. This incredible team will be, at worse, a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament next week, hopefully ready to win another few games in this incredible season.
The Baylor Lariat's Tyler Alley: If anyone believes the magnitude of the Bears’ performance in the Big 12 Championship tournament is overrated, let me give you some numbers: 121.5, 40.3 and 125.7. That’s how far in miles Manhattan, Kan., Lawrence, Kan., and Columbia, Mo., are from Kansas City, Mo., respectively. Let’s be clear. All three of Baylor’s games this week were road games. Baylor beat Kansas State and Kansas and hung with Missouri in a hostile environment with little support (I am not hating on you, Bears fans. I know firsthand how far this tournament is from Waco).
Of course, I couldn't leave without dropping my own two cents. Watching Frank Haith show emotion the way he did last night was an awesome scene indeed. This tweet reflected my thoughts last night.
Man....i've never EVER been a fan of Missouri, but I like this squad a ton. Frank Haith over there tearing up. Damn.
— Eddie Maisonet, III(@edthesportsfan) March 11, 2012
Anybody can root for someone who's genuinely happy, right?
For more complete Mizzou coverage, make sure to head on over to Rock M Nation, while Baylor fans should check out Our Daily Bears. For more March Madness coverage head on over to SB Nation's College Basketball page. All are part of the SB Nation network of blogs.