WICHITA, Kan. — It’s time for the Tigers to put on their dancing shoes.
After missing the NCAA Tournament last year, Missouri is back in the big dance, but this time they’re planning on staying awhile.
"I believe in our team a lot," said Missouri sophomore guard Anthony Robinson II. "The offseason we put in a lot of work. Right away we knew we had something special. Everybody must not have believed in it, but we believed in it from the jump and our coaches preach it every day and we're here like we expected, now we're just going to go out and do what we do."
The Tigers practiced for 45 minutes at InTrust Arena in Wichita Wednesday afternoon, the site of their first-round matchup against Drake. Don’t let the No. 11 seed fool you, these Bulldogs mean business.
"We knew as soon as we saw that name we're like, 'OK, let's go,'" said Drake senior guard and Independence native Isaiah Jackson. "Everybody has to play and it's March Madness, so anything can happen."
"Just the expectations coming into the summer there weren't that many because we were DII guys," added Liberty native and Drake junior guard Bennett Stirtz. "A lot of people doubted us. Throughout the season we proved some doubters wrong and we're just playing with that chip on our shoulder throughout the season and using that as extra motivation."
Mizzou’s offense will have its hands full against Drake’s defense. The Bulldogs give up just 58.4 points per game, which is the best mark of any team in the country.
Missouri and Drake tip-off at 6;35 p.m. Thursday at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita.
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