Random Observations: Missouri
As with every game, there are some things those of us who have to watch from beginning to end with extreme focus tend to notice that others may not.
Here are a few from tonight's Missouri game.
• There were a lot of Arkansas fans at the game, most of which were decked out in Razorback red behind the Hogs' bench. However, one person stood out, not because of her gray sweater in that sea of red, but because of the apparent shade she kept throwing toward the student section.
That's right. If you watch the game back, you can see Eric Musselman's daughter, Mariah, taunting the only viable section of the Missouri crowd. When Arkansas would make a basket, she would turn and shoot them a glare that proved she is more than equipped to be the spouse wearing the pants in her future, then literally clap back.
© Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
• Did not even the Mizzou Arena custodial staff want to show up to watch Missouri play? At one point the ball got on a bracket behind the top of the backboard. After a few seconds of awkwardness, Razorback forward Jaylin Williams grabbed up a nearby broom and knocked the ball down with a broom.
In an interview with SEC Network, Williams said as he glanced around, he realized people were confused as to how to knock the ball free, saying since he had seen it happen before on TV, he knew what to do.
© Denny Medley / USA TODAY Sports
But, the custodial work didn't stop there. At one point the referees stop play mid-dribble because of moisture on the floor. An Arkansas staff member got a good minute of TV time as he scrubs the floor and then returned a second time for an emphatic wax-on, wax-off level scrubbing that would have made Mr. Miyagi proud.
• At one point the Missouri student section tried to start the shot clock count down chant early to fake out J.D. Notae. While it might have been confusing for viewers at home, Notae didn't fall for it.
• If you suddenly craved burgers and couldn't figure out why, it's because digital advertisement boards physically attached to the baskets regularly flashed up the word burgers in bold letters. It also occasionally flashed in front of the scorer's table.
• In other Mizzou Arena advertising observations, from time to time an ad for Hy-Vee could be seen popping up in the arena. This is the grocery store chain St. Louis Rams Super Bowl MVP quarterback Kurt Warner famously worked at prior to returning to his pursuit as a professional quarterback with the Iowa Barnstormers.
Warner reportedly filmed part of an upcoming documentary with Peyton Manning a couple of weeks ago at a Hy-Vee in Iowa.
RVR Photos / USA TODAY Sports
Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register-DesMoines
• Needing to vamp to fill time during a section of the game lacking in engaging action and suspense, the announce crew detailed a story where Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman went to go work out. Because his wife, Danyelle, hadn't made it up from Fayetteville yet, Musselman had to ask the lady at the front desk to tie his shoes for him since his shoulder surgery makes that not possible.
© Denny Medley / USA TODAY Sports
The question is why was there no one with the Razorbacks who could help him with this? If the boss wants to go for a workout, there's got to be someone other than the poor lady who gets yelled at all night because people don't want a temporary charge for incidentals on their card to do this.
Somewhere there's a potential intern filming a Tik-Tok showing s/he knows how to tie shoes and setting it to intense hip-hop music to be sent to athletic officials immediately.
• Lastly, because there were so few Missouri fans in the building, it was easy to hear a large group of Razorback fans calling the Hogs. It doesn't get much more embarrassing than that for a fan base.
