ARKANSAS MEN AT MISSOURI

Anderson expecting boos from Mizzou

Arkansas coach Mike Anderson speaks during a press conference Monday afternoon in Fayetteville. Anderson, who coached five seasons at Missouri, will coach his first game in Columbia, Mo. Tuesday night as the Razorbacks' head coach.

— Mike Anderson is used to being cheered in Mizzou Arena, where he led Missouri to a 79-11 record, including 51-3 in his final three seasons as the Tigers’ coach.

”It’s a great crowd that’s involved,” Anderson said. “The students do a great job, the fans do a great job, and obviously the players do a great job.”

The students and fans don’t figure to be cheering Anderson in Mizzou Arena tonight. He’ll be on the visiting bench as Arkansas’ coach to face the Tigers, who are the Razorbacks’ new SEC rivals.

“There may be some boobirds,” Anderson said.

Anderson led Missouri to an 111-57 overall record in five seasons, including NCAA Tournament appearances the final three years, before he left in March 2011 to take the job at Arkansas, where he was an assistant coach for 17 seasons.

TUESDAY'S TICKET

Arkansas (18-11, 9-7 SEC) vs. Missouri (21-7, 10-6)

WHEN: 6 p.m.

WHERE: Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

TV: ESPN

“I’m sure the people that know me and my staff and the things that we stand for can appreciate what we did,”Anderson said of his Missouri tenure. “At the same time, you’re going to have some people that may not agree with that. Sometimes those are the most vocal ones.”

Anderson coached against Missouri for the first time since leaving Missouri Feb. 16, when the Razorbacks (18-11, 9-7) rallied in the final seconds to beat the Tigers 73-71 in Walton Arena.

“I’ve said before, it’s not about Mike Anderson and Missouri. It’s Arkansas vs. Missouri,” Anderson said. “It’s an SEC game.”

Missouri Coach Frank Haith downplayed Anderson’s return and the fact the Arkansas coach has said he considers Tigers junior point guard Phil Pressey and senior forward Laurence Bowers to be his sons because of their close relationship.

“We’re playing Arkansas, simple as that,” Haith said. “I’m not worrying about any of those story lines. I mean, I respect it, I understand it, but I’m not going to be involved or worried about any of that stuff.

“I’m worried about my team getting ready, going out and competing in a conference game in March.”

Missouri (21-7, 10-6) is attempting to finish 17-0 in Mizzou Arena, where the Tigers are 31-1 in Haith’s two seasons with their only loss to Kansas State last year.

“There’s some tradition there and we created that atmosphere and it’s something that has continued,” Anderson said. “The fans are engaged, but it’s more about the players and how they go out and they believe that anybody that comes into that arena they’re going to beat them. It’s a mind-set.”

Missouri has played at Kentucky and Florida as well as Arkansas this season.

“Our fans will be here, and they’re as loud as any,” Haith said. “I’d rank us up there with the best of them.”

Arkansas junior forward Coty Clarke said he expects an early-arriving crowd tonight.

“They’re waiting on us,” Clarke said. “They’re probably going to be there when we get there to talk a little trash.”

Arkansas guard BJ Young, a sophomore from St. Louis who scored seven points in the final 30 seconds when the Razorbacks beat Missouri last month, will be playing his first college game in his home state.

“It will be fun to go in there and try to beat them again,” Young said. “I’m sure they’ll be amped up that they’re playing us.

“I’m sure I’ll have some extra boos coming. I’ll be ready for it. I’ll be laughing it off. I’ll be going out there playing and smiling and having a good time.”

Pressey and Bowers, averaging a combined 26.3 points, were held to 11 points on 3-of-19 shooting at Arkansas, and Anderson said afterward the emotions of the game might have affected them.

“I think those guys will play the way they’re capable of playing,” Haith said. “They’re veterans, and I know they want to win, so we’ll see them play at their very best.”

Missouri went 30-5 last season when Haith led a roster full of Anderson’s players, including six seniors.

“Mike did a great job here building the program,” Haith said.

“He definitely left it in great shape when we got here. We had to kind of balance our classes out. It was kind of senior heavy, but I think we’ve done a good job with that.”

Anderson took over a Missouri program that had gone 12-16 the season before he arrived, when Quin Snyder resigned as coach amid allegations of NCAA rules violations.

“There was no passion, at least about basketball,” Anderson said. “Now the passion is back, and even as I left there, there’s passion.”

Anderson said he believes he left the Missouri program in “great shape” for the next coach and credited Haith for continuing to win.

“Most guys don’t inherit a team like that, and it’s not necessarily just the basketball part of it,” Anderson said. “They inherited some good kids.All those kids were graduating and on target to graduate. They’re winners.”

Anderson said leaving Missouri to take the Arkansas job was one of the toughest decisions he’s made because of his relationship to the players.

“It was grueling,” Anderson said. “It was a lot of soul searching, a lot of praying, a lot of consulting.”

Clarke said he won’t be surprised if Anderson receives a mixed reception from Missouri fans.

“They loved him when he was there,” Clarke said. “I expect some boos and I expect some love, but at the end of the day we’ve got to play the game. That’s what matters the most.”

Sports, Pages 17 on 03/05/2013