Haith Rebounds At Mizzou
COLUMBIA, Mo. (CBSMiami) – When Frank Haith left the University of Miami for the University of Missouri, many Hurricanes fans said good riddance. But, based on Haith's start at Mizzou, they might be regretting that feeling.
After Saturday's win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Haith had Missouri ranked number two in the country with a 19-2 overall record and 6-2 in Big XII conference play.
Haith walked into a hornet's nest at Mizzou as fans were clamoring for someone else to take over the program. Then, Haith lost his best big man, Laurence Bowers, before the season even started.
But the loss turned into a big help for the senior-laden Missouri Tigers. Haith adapted his offense and began running a four guard, one forward lineup.
With solid shooters across the board, the Tigers introduced themselves to the national scene.
The Tigers defeated a tough Baylor team on the road last weekend and have also beaten Illinois and Cal on the road.
The Tigers are in prime position for a high-seed in the NCAA Tournament in March and are right behind arch-rival Kansas for the Big XII Championship.
Meanwhile, the team Haith left has played hard but can't get the big wins the program needs to push itself ahead.
The Canes did get their first ACC road victory last week, but have also lost three out of their last four games.
Still, UM is happy with their new coach, Jim Larranaga, and Haith has made believers out of some of the Tigers faithful.
What happens after this year isn't known, but for both schools, they seem happy with where they are going forward.
