Barnett Makes Debut; Mizzou Loses Another Clunker

To say that Saturday afternoon was an up and down roller coaster for the True Son's of Mizzou hoops, that would probably be one heck of an understatement -- or something like that, at least.

On the same day that the program saw their prized transfer, Jordan Barnett, make his team debut, they also couldn't close out the game and dropped their second clunker at home -- this time to Eastern Illinois -- less than just three weeks after losing to North Carolina Central as well. Barnett, who transferred to Missouri from Texas last season, was a highly touted recruit coming out of high school in St. Louis and was ranked number 88 on ESPN's Top 100 board.

While the 6'7 forward didn't start the game, he played 24 minutes in the 67-64 loss and scored three points while adding five rebounds and one assist. Despite missing his first and only three shots in the first half, which were all three-point attempts, he added some much needed flexibility at times late in the game. Although, for those of us that watched the game, are still confused at why he was on the bench at one point in the final five minutes of regulation. May have been conditioning or just Coach Anderson's own reasoning, but still, it could have very well been the difference between winning the game, or ultimately losing it as they did.

The Tigers played a solid opening half of the contest before heading in to halftime with a 32-30 lead -- but Eastern Illinois shooting 1-of-14 from long range played a big part, as they didn't hit their first shot from behind the arc until the final two minutes -- and keep in note, a lot of their looks in the first frame were pretty good, with no hand in their face. That didn't stop them from shooting them in the second half though. The Panthers hit 7-of-15 in the final 20 minutes, which was ultimately the disastrous dagger for a Mizzou team that has had trouble shooting a lot so far this season (they shot an all-time low of just 25-percent at Mizzou Arena in the loss to NC Central on Nov. 28).

Despite shooting 41-percent on Saturday though, they couldn't get timely buckets down the stretch in the final two minutes, and besides that? They shot a porous 62-percent from the free throw line (15 of 24) while Eastern Illinois hit 88-percent (15 of 17) -- the team missed nine free throws total and lost by three, coincidence? Down by three with 11 seconds left in the contest and the Panthers at the charity stripe, Cornell Johnston missed his second attempt after hitting the first and instead of calling a timeout to draw up a play, Anderson decided to let them play it out. Huh? Terrance Phillips dribbled out the time and chucked up a prayer that almost went in with just under three seconds left before ultimately missing and ending the game. Willie Jackson scored nine points and added five rebounds, Kevin Puryear added eight and six while Phillips scored eight points, added seven dimes and three rebounds.

All in all though, I have been behind Kim Anderson as the main guy since day one. To be honest, I still am to this day, even after these two baaaad losses. As we all know, there may not be another guy on the planet that wants to be the one to bring this program back, just as any 'True Son' would. This won't be easy to bounce back from and to be quite honest, the way this team responds on Wednesday night in the Braggin' Rights game against the Illini could very well show us a lot about the direction for this program for not only the rest of the season, but for the relative future, as well.

Jordan Barnett Set to Make Mizzou Debut This Afternoon

Is Jordan Barnett the real deal? Is he the dominant force that everybody believes he is, or the one that everybody at least believes he can be? Considering all of the struggles that this Mizzou team has had in the scoring department so far in the early-going this season, these questions will start to be answered coming up very soon.

When the Tigers hit the court at 2:30 pm Central Time this afternoon to host Eastern Illinois, they'll get what most believe is the big boost that they need to potentially make some noise the rest of this season -- especially come SEC play -- and at 5-4 thus far, with many big games remaining, plenty of opportunity remains for one of the youngest teams in the entire country.

Barnett, the 6'7 stretch forward, is a former top-100 recruit (86th on ESPN's 100 list) from inside the state of Missouri -- St. Louis to be exact. He started his college career with the Texas Longhorns before deciding to come back home and transfer to his home-state program. He only saw 24 minutes of floor-time over four games at Texas, although his last time at Mizzou Arena, as a senior in high school, he scored 43 points, grabbed 20 boards and helped lead his team to a state championship.

The St. Louis native gives the team, coaching staff and fan base some very welcomed excitement, and while it may take some time to get his acclimated to real game action, he has all of the tools to be a big-time weapon from here on out. Many of his teammates have talked about how he has been dominant in practice and are excited to have him out there with them when it really counts. Besides being a big body that can grab rebounds and do a lot of the dirty work, Barnett is also known for his shooting ability and as a scorer from almost anywhere on the court. He has the ability to be a match-up nightmare for opponents and can also knock down the long range shot.

With already having the likes of Terrance Phillips, Frankie Hughes and Kevin Puryear as guys who know how to score, having another player like JB will only help to open up the spacing for everybody else. As mentioned already, while it may or may not give results on the box score instantly, it's certainly a big time boost for a team that needs some scoring help. Once these kids gel together and get their chemistry down, this will be one exciting group to watch. Every player that is on this team now has fully bought in to Kim Anderson and his system and is here for the long-haul -- which also means, stability is here to stay. The day is here folks, let's all enjoy! MIZ!

Thoughts And Opinions On The Dexter Fowler Signing

Just a little over 24 hours ago, the news had broke that General Manager John Mozeliak and the Cardinals had officially reached an agreement to sign free agent outfielder' Dexter Fowler -- a former Chicago Cub -- to a five-year, $82.5 million dollar deal. After finally having some time to sit back and look in to the deal a little more, here are some of my thoughts on it.

I'll go ahead and start it out by saying that I am a huge fan of it. After spending some time talking with other Cardinals fanatics like myself and reading through posts' in Cardinals fan groups since it went down, I may be in the minority, but that's fine by me. I have looked at both sides of the deal -- the good and the bad -- and to be honest, the 'good' side of the spectrum stands out to me much more than the other.

Was it an over-pay? I honestly can't say that I believe it is. At $16.5 million-per-season, especially with the way that the market has continued to go up (and as everybody knows, it's starting to get pretty crazy, if it isn't already well beyond that, anyways), I look at this deal as one that is pretty close to a bargain. By looking at the numbers, Fowler averaged 4.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in his two seasons in Chicago. Going off the model that represents the dollar-value to a players game, each win a player represents is worth close to $7.7 million-per. If you average the 4.0 for the newest Cardinal, his value is worth about $30.7 million per season -- according to the market scale.

Heading in to the off-season, many analysts and experts believed that the 30-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia would get a deal that was worth anywhere ranging from $20 to $22 million per season -- and one of them many analysts included the likes of the very-well respected, Keith Law. Looking at it from the analytics side and the value side of things, that alone goes to show that it was a good deal in terms of the money and worth the risk -- especially if he brings his game from the past two seasons' to the Cardinals.

Outside of that though, not only do the Cardinals add a guy of great leadership with some athleticism that we haven't seen them have in a little while, he also will be a cemented lead-off hitter that will get Matt Carpenter out of the lead-off spot and in to a more run-producing spot such as the three-hole, which is exactly what was needed. Also, while he may not be the flashiest of guys out in center, defensively, he takes great routes out in center and will allow Randal Grichuk to move to left field, where he is much better suited at.

Is Fowler the missing piece to the puzzle to help the team make up 17 games in the standings on the Cubs and bring the city another world championship? More than likely, no. Having said that, he brings plenty of versatility to a team that desperately needed it, improves the lineup drastically while bringing an element in the speed department that they've lacked for a while now and is a perfect piece to add. While some may or may not agree with me, this is the most excitement I have had over a free agent signing from the Birds since Matt Holliday got his contract years back. Work still needs to be done, of course, but this is a great start. Welcome to Baseball Heaven, Dex!

Bulls Face Tough Challenge With Spurs In Town Tonight

Following what has been an inconsistent start to the season with a lot of up-and-down moments, Jimmy Butler and the Bulls will be facing a tough challenge tonight when they host the San Antonio Spurs at the United Center and look to get back on the winning side of things.

Just six days removed from a 'statement game' victory over Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, the Bulls have since lost three straight games, which includes a 25-point drubbing to the four-win Mavs in Dallas. After starting out the season at 3-0 and then winning four out of six on the annual Circus road-trip, they now have fallen from the third seed in the East to the seventh seed and own an 11-10 record overall.

This team has shown up for some games and looked like one that could possibly dethrone the defending champs come playoff time, but then they have also shown up to some games right after that and looked like last seasons' squad that didn't even get in to the postseason. Inconsistency has been this teams' number one demon so far, which is why fans have to wonder which team will show up on a nightly basis.

The good news though? Despite being one win short of tying the all-time record for most consecutive games to open the season on the road without a loss, the Spurs (13-0 on the road this season) have lost two straight at the United Center, which is currently their longest active skid against any opponent in the league. The Spurs enter this game on a four game winning streak and own an overall record of 18-4, which is good enough for second in the West and just one game behind the Golden State Warriors for the top spot in all of the NBA.

Butler, who is averaging 26 points per game and has played like a top-of-the-line MVP candidate to start the year, has scored 25 or more in seven of his last eight games and continues to be locked in. Dwayne Wade is scoring almost 20 per night himself, which will have to continue if the Bulls are to win tonight. Doug McDermott, who has missed the last 11 games, has been recalled from the D-League. He is expected to take part in tomorrow's shoot-around and if all goes well, will likely be cleared by the doctor and be available for this contest.

Is this an absolute must-win game for the Bulls? I can't go quite that far, but I won't argue against anybody who feels differently about it. I will say though, if anything, this is certainly a statement game of sorts for a team that needs to get back on track and feels highly of themselves. The Bulls struggling at the end of their four games in five nights stretch is one thing, but coming back off some rest and facing an elite opponent on national TV? That's another.

Blues Looking To Get Things Going On Road

Just how good is this current Blues team? Or better yet, the real question is, just truly how good can this current Blues team end up being? While it's still in early December, with an awful lot of hockey still to be played, righting the ship on the road could be the determining factor to that very question.

Following a home-stand that saw the Blues finish out with a 4-0-1 record, earning nine out of a possible 10 points and improving their home-record at the Scottrade Center to an impressive 12-1-3 overall through 16 games, the team is currently sitting in second-place in both the Central division and the entire Western Conference -- and behind who? Only the Chicago Blackhawks, who have 37 points total compared to 34 for the Blues.

When the boys hit the ice on Thursday night for a battle with the Islanders in New York, it will be the first game of their four-game road trip that will have them playing in New York, New Jersey, Minnesota and Nashville. As the road-trip begins, the team is currently sitting at 3-6-1 away from home and will be looking to turn that trend around, which would go a long way for both the division race, as well as the confidence for this team in the long haul -- especially considering that, as we all know very well, winning a Cup is almost an impossible task unless you can play great hockey away from your home ice.

Despite all of the early season challenges this team has had to face such as the injuries to key players, all of the new faces, the new roles and the adjustment period overall, this team has shown that they can overcome adversity like it's nothing, which is exactly what they've done for the past two full seasons'. With the return of Alexander Steen and Joel Edmundson and the continued success of Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz, the style and adjustment has been getting better with time, just as it is with David Perron in his new role as well, even if his isn't showing up in the boxscore every night like the others.

Although this upcoming road-trip that begins tonight isn't a season-defining stretch, with the way that the team has been putting it all together and playing, it certainly could go a long ways for Hitch, Yeo and the boys in blue. Coming in to the season, I think most, including myself, thought this transition (without key guys such as David Backes, Troy Brouwer, Brian Elliott) would take a lot more time than it has, it's an encouraging and exciting sign. Having said that though, if this team really wants to take it to the next level and put even more of a notice to the rest of the league, winning on the road starting tonight would do just that.

Looking Ahead at Saturday Night's Action

Are you ready for a beautiful Saturday evening that is filled with some great match up's all around the wonderful world of sports? As great (or funny and lame) as it may sound, these are the type of nights and weekends that I absolutely live for -- especially in the fall when we have a bunch of them going on at the same time!

While most will be glued to college football and watching the Conference Championship games, which I will be as well, but only from time-to-time, my main focus will be on Blues hockey and Bulls basketball. Earlier in the day, Mizzou hoops escaped with a narrow win at the Zou, and UCLA proved they were officially back when they knocked off the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats on the road inside Rupp Arena -- as 12-point underdogs, no-less -- talk about impressive, eh? Here is a quick preview for tonight's games, as well as a quick recap of the Mizzou win as well:

Frankie Hughes finds his stroke; Missouri beats Western Kentucky, 59-56
The last time the Tigers were on the court, they were upset by North Carolina Central in a game where they set the all-time record for the lowest shooting-percentage of all-time at Mizzou Arena -- they weren't letting another upset take place today though. Frankie Hughes scored 18 points while Kevin Puryear added 12 himself and Mizzou held on for a 59-56 win over the Hilltoppers. Just like their loss on Monday though, it wasn't the prettiest game in terms of shooting, as they shot just 30-percent from the field, but despite going with a bucket for the last seven minutes, the defense buckled up and they knocked down some crucial free throws late. Russell Woods (10 points, 8 rebounds) and Willie Jackson (6 points, 5 rebounds) combined for 16 points and 13 boards, and were a force down-low all night. With the win, Mizzou improves to 4-3 on the season and will host Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday night (7 pm tip-off, ESPN3) -- in what will be their last game before hosting 16th-ranked Arizona at Mizzou Arena next Saturday.

Blues look to stay hot; host the Winnipeg Jets at the Scottrade Center
(Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues -- 6:00 pm Central Time -- FOX Sports Midwest)
The Blues will be looking to stay hot tonight when they host a Central division foe, the Winnipeg Jets, inside the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. In their last contest, on Thursday night, the Blues improved to 3-0 on their current five-game home stand after they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 5-4. Vladimir Tarasenko netted his third career regular season hat trick in the contest and  helped the good guys improve to 11-1-2 at home, as well as 7-1 over their last eight games overall. Jake Allen will be getting a rest in this one as Carter Hutton has been confirmed as the starter, per Jeremy Rutherford via Twitter. The Jets, who have won four games in their last 10, currently sit in sixth in the Central division and is coming off a 6-3 to Edmonton on Thursday night. This will be the first time this season that the Blues have seen the Jets' star rookie, Patrik Laine, who has scored 15 goals in 26 games so far in his first NHL campaign. Game time is set for 6 pm Central Time, with pre-game set to start at 5:30 pm Central Time on FOX Sports Midwest.

Bulls looking for second straight win when they visit Dallas for show-down with Mavs
(Chicago Bulls at Dallas Mavericks -- 7:30 pm Central Time -- WGN Television)
Less than 24 hours after pulling off the win against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bulls will finish off the back-end of their back-to-back with a match-up against the struggling Mavericks in Dallas. As reported via TheScore, Dwayne Wade will not be with the team as Head Coach Fred Hoiberg is giving him the night off as he didn't travel with the team. The Bulls enter the contest at third in the East, owning an overall record of 11-7. As for Dallas, who is dead-last in the entire league, let alone the West, owns a record of 3-15 and have two straight losses. Despite their bad record though, they have been hit pretty hard with the injury bug and will be without Dirk, Seth Curry and JJ Barea in this contest. The Bulls are currently 3.5 point favorites per Vegas, in what looks like it will be a pretty good game. The tip-off is set to take place at 7:30 pm Central Time and can be televised on WGN -- pre-game is scheduled for 7:00 pm Central Time.

Bulls Beat Lebron, Cavs; Send Message to NBA

If there was one way for Jimmy Butler, Dwayne Wade and the Chicago Bulls to send a message to the rest of the league, at least at this point in the early-going, I think it's fair to say that it was from what they played on Friday night -- when they defeated the defending NBA Champs, 111-105 inside the United Center in Chicago -- on national television, no-less.

Butler, who has been one of the best in the game so far in 2016, scored 26 points and added eight rebounds and six assists on the night, while Flash, who made his debut inside this heated-rivalry in his hometown, added 24 points himself while grabbing five boards and four helpers as well.

The X-factor in this impressive, message-sending win though? That belonged to the likes of both Taj Gibson, as well as Rajon Rondo. Gibson was a monster from the opening tip, and was a huge part of why the team was trailing by one at the half. The 6'9 big-man scored 23 points and added 11 rebounds in the contest, while Rondo racked up a triple-double as he ran the show flawlessly most of the night. He scored 15 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 12 dimes. It was the veteran's first triple-double of the season, but it was the 29th of his career.

The Bulls, who improved to 11-7 on the season and currently sitting in the third spot in the East, also got some key contributions from the likes of some of their key role players. Niko knocked down a key three late in the contest and several key rebounds, while Isaiah Canaan added a few big buckets down the stretch too. In a key stretch of the early-season schedule, without two important bench pieces in Michael Carter-Williams and Doug McDermott, this game was even more evidence of why this team will be a dangerous out for anybody when it comes down to it.

Sure, while this win may not mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, and is nothing more than a 'regular season contest in early December', this was certainly a clear indicator that this team is pretty damn good. Not only did they beat Cleveland in a game without a few key contributors, but they also handed Lebron, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers their third straight loss, which hasn't happened in almost exactly one calendar year. As long as the Bulls can continue to build off of this win, and the veterans continue to mesh as well as they have early on for the most part, the message has been sent: this Bulls team is here to play -- and not only that, but they're also here to win!