MU coach feels heat

Snyder 'concerned about the team'

Surely, the thought has lurked in the back of Quin Snyder’s noggin recently.

But just in case it hadn’t, the Missouri basketball coach was reminded over and over again of the quicksand he’s living in these days as chants of “Quin, you’re fired!” reverberated throughout Allen Fieldhouse all night long.

Monday’s 73-61 loss to Kansas University didn’t do much to help Snyder’s resume. Neither does Missouri’s 10-11 overall record this year, the 2-6 Big 12 Conference mark, an appalling absence from last year’s NCAA Tournament and a talented team that seems to be heading down the same doomed path this go-around.

Pretty soon, Snyder’s tenure on thin ice will turn into a desperate paddle for his professional life in the frigid waters below — unless Missouri can turn things around, fast.

“For me to be concerned about myself at this time, I don’t think is the answer,” Snyder said. “I’m concerned about the team and my part on the team. Ultimately, I know I’m accountable, and that’s not something I’ll ever run from.”

Monday’s battle went down the same dreary path for Snyder and the Tigers, no matter how hard they tried to stray off the course. The Tigers led 41-30 early in the second half, the climax of a 32-11 run that lasted nearly 10 minutes — and gave Missouri fans a shot of hope, something they’ve lacked in large quantities lately.

But the Jayhawks (17-1, 7-0) adjusted in time, switching to a zone defense to which Missouri reacted poorly. It led to a 23-point swing that gave KU its eighth victory in the last nine Border War showdowns — hardly the rivalry the two states fell in love with so long ago.

“I don’t think we get the proper spacing,” freshman Marshall Brown said of the zone woes. “We get clustered around the perimeter and look for the three-point shot.”

The lack of shot-selection discipline cost the Tigers dearly Monday. They shot 1-of-9 from three-point range in the second half, and the 11-point MU lead shriveled and died quickly, turning to a 12-point Kansas victory.

Embattled Missouri coach Quin Snyder instructs the Tigers against the Jayhawks.

Don’t expect to find any apologists lurking behind Missouri’s arc, though.

“We are a team that shoots threes. That’s what we do,” said guard Jason Conley, who led the Tigers with 20 points. “There a lot of guys on the team that can shoot threes. There is not going to be a night when we stop shooting threes.”

Until the Tigers straighten out what has been bothering them lately, the situation will continue without much promise in Columbia, Mo. — and the seat Snyder sits in eventually will melt from the blistering heat.

“I do believe we have the makings of a good team,” Snyder said. “I wanted this to be an unbelievable year. It hasn’t been playing out that way for a lot of reasons.”