There was Gardner-Webb University in November 2007, and Virginia Military Institute a year later. Fast forward two years, and there was Christian Watford’s game-winning three for the Indiana Hoosiers in December 2011, followed by Robert Morris University in March 2013.
But on Jan. 29, 2015, Missouri would not be added to the shortlist of underdogs who have upset the eight-time NCAA Tournament Champion Kentucky Wildcats in recent years.
Sixteen days after a historically-bad 49-point loss to Kentucky Jan. 29, the Tigers fell 69-53 to John Calipari’s undefeated No. 1 Wildcats once more Thursday in the Mizzou Arena. The loss extended the Tigers losing streak to six games.
“They’re the number one team in the country, and I can certainly see why,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “When you play Kentucky, it’s kind of overwhelming.”
“(It was) a better effort, but still not where we need to be,” sophomore guard Wes Clark added.
Believe it or not, there was a time in the game in which Mizzou owned a lead over the nation’s top team.
Clark hit a pair of back-to-back threes from the top of the key to put the Tigers up by one midway through the first half. Clark led the Tigers with career-high 19 points Thursday. He also tagged on four assists and three steals and four rebounds.
The 13,034 fans erupted at once in approval from Clark’s makes. Their home team was up against the creme of the crop.
“Missouri had Arkansas beat,” Calipari said. “They beat LSU, and they came after us and were not afraid.”
The underdog’s lead would only last for four minutes. The Wildcats came roaring back going on a 18-8 run absorbing the final eight minutes of the first half. It was a 34-25 Kentucky lead at halftime.
Yet, the venue’s largest audience of the season remained standing for the entire first half.
A plethora of fouls by Mizzou helped Kentucky expand its lead in a slow second half. The Wildcats went into the bonus just over four minutes in, and into the double bonus three minutes later, with 12:26 to go in the game. The Tigers finished the game with a season-high 31 team fouls.
“I don’t really want to foul that much,” Anderson joked in the post-game press conference. “Next question.”
Kentucky capitalized, shooting 27-37 from the free throw line. The Tigers shot 20 free throws Thursday, making 13 of them.
Following a first half where they shot 45 percent from the field, the Tigers fell to 38 percent in the second half. The once-energized crowd began to clear out as Kentucky reached a 20-point lead with eight minutes left in the game.
The Tigers’ next task comes Saturday. The Ole Miss Rebels pay a visit to Mizzou Arena for a 4 p.m. tip-off. The game is scheduled to air on Fox Sports Network and ESPN 3.
**Game notes:**
-Fouls plagued both teams Thursday as they combined for 54 whistles. Mizzou’s Montaque Gill-Caesar and Namon Wright fouled out with a combined four points. Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Marcus Lee also fouled out, but they scored a combined 11 points on the game.
-Mizzou has defeated the Associated Press No. 1 ranked team four times in the 65-year history of the ranking system. Three of those wins came against the rival Kansas Jayhawks, and the other against Oklahoma. The last time the Tigers defeated the nation’s top-ranked team was Feb. 4, 1997, in a 96-94 double-overtime win over Kansas in the Hearnes Center.
-Since Missouri joined the Southeastern Conference in 2012, Kentucky has been the only team the Tigers have been unable to defeat (0-4). Mizzou is 0-7 all-time against the Wildcats.
-Kentucky owns a 2160-672 (.763) record in their dynamic 102-year history as a program. The Wildcats have 577 more victories to their name than Mizzou, which began its program just three years after Kentucky.
