Quin Snyder likened it to arriving at a gala, the big party where everybody who's anybody is there. Introductions are made upon arrival. It's a big deal.

And his Missouri basketball team is stuck in traffic.

"We're late," Snyder said. "But we're coming."

	Rickey Paulding, left, and Arthur Johnson just may do more dancing in the NCAAs.

Back in December, there was little reason to believe the Tigers would be late when it came to securing a place in the NCAA Tournament. Missouri opened the season ripping off nine-straight victories. Kareem Rush and company had a three-game stretch where they defeated Alabama, Iowa (back when the Hawkeyes were good) and Xavier.

C'mon, they were the No. 2 team in the country. What was there to worry about?

Plenty, it appears.

Because it wasn't until Rush tracked down a rebound Monday night, securing a 72-69 victory over Oklahoma State in the process, that the Tigers fans could really feel comfortable making plans for March that didn't include the NIT.

It was victory No. 20, but more importantly, one that guaranteed Missouri a winning record in Big 12 play regardless of what happens in Sunday's regular season finale against Kansas. It also moved the Tigers into a four-way tie for third place in the conference at 9-6.

Is that enough to get Missouri in?

"I'm not the expert," Snyder said. "But I certainly think so."

That couldn't be said as recently as a week ago. When the Tigers went to Texas Tech on Feb. 20 and left with a 91-68 drubbing, Missouri was 18-9 and 7-6 in the league. The Tigers had just lost three of four games, including a bad 81-80 loss at a second-division Baylor team. There was no guarantee of a .500 record in the league.

But knowing they needed victories down the stretch, the Tigers have delivered. First Clarence Gilbert dropped 40 on Colorado in a 96-83 victory. Then came the crucial victory over the Cowboys, one that has the potential to propel Missouri in the upcoming weeks.

Because as important as the victory itself was, so to was the manner in which it happened. This wasn't a game in which the Tigers stood around and watched Rush, the Big 12's second-leading scorer, break people off of the dribble and score at will.

Instead, Missouri won this game with Rush going 3-for-15 from the floor and scoring just 10 points. They won the game because Rickey Paulding scored 21 points and Arthur Johnson was a force inside. They won this game through defense and rebounding -- Missouri grabbed 10 more rebounds than the Cowboys -- rather than shoothing 3s and outscoring teams.

"When Kareem's not hitting, we haven't been able to do that," Snyder said. "And we haven't had a game where we're all clicking.

"We had a greater focus on the defensive end and we were able to hang around until our offense started going."

In other words, the Tigers started playing the way they were expected to all along.

Snyder won't say that the high early-season ranking was a bad thing, but his players might not have handled it as well as they could have.

"We're so young and we're even younger maturity-wise," Snyder said. "The kids had a false send of where we were."

That combination led to an interesting Big 12 season.

"Was (the ranking) a bad thing for the program? No," Snyder said. "Was it painful? Yes. It created a lot of melodrama. I'm the same coach I was then, but maybe my credentials were stripped and now given back to me."

Now the test for Missouri is how they handle Sunday's regular season finale against top-ranked and arch-enemy Kansas.

"It's going to be a great game," Snyder said. "It's not very often that you have the No. 1 team in your backyard in the last game of the year. We've got to play, we've got to probably perfect."

And if that wasn't enough to get the Tigers excited, the Jayhawks are only Missouri's biggest rival and they could be trying to become the first undefeated team in Big 12 history. It doesn't matter what the two schools are competing in -- it could be football or basketball or checkers -- it's a must win for both schools.

The difference now is that the Tigers probably don't have to win to reach the NCAA Tournament.

"I don't want us to feel any relief," Snyder said. "That's the trap we've fallen into (before). If we're even slightly satisfied, that's intolerable."

Games of the Week

Kansas at Missouri Sunday The Jayhawks are trying to become the first Big 12 team to finish a season undefeated. No team would like to keep that from happening more than Missouri. Should be an interesting Sunday at the Hearns Center. Illinois at Minnesota Sunday Illinois is in position to gain a share of the Big Ten title with a victory. The Gophers need this victory to keep alive hopes of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Texas Tech at Baylor Saturday As impressive as the Red Raiders have been this season, Bob Knight's team has won just two of seven league road games. After losing at Texas on Tuesday night, the Red Raiders would like to get some momentum entering the Big 12 tournament and secure a first-round bye.

Gophers Alone on Bubble?
Of the 23 teams in the Big Ten and Big 12, only one team is really left on the NCAA Tournament bubble -- Minnesota.

With two games to play in the regular season, Gophers coach Dan Monson wasn't afraid to use the words "must win" in reference to Wednesday's game with Northwestern and Sunday's regular season finale against Illinois.

"I still think we control our own destiny if we can win two games," Monson said. "If we don't, we're not going to go to the NCAA Tournament. If we do, I think we will."

One thing in the Gophers favor is that both games are at Williams Arena, a place where only one Big Ten team has won this season.

"We have to worry about what we can control," Monson said. "That's something we put on the board before every game. Worry about what you can control -- how hard you play, how well you concentrate and how hard you compete. You can't worry about the officiating, the postseason; you can only control so many things."

Two victories would put the Gophers at 10-6 in conference play. Since the Big Ten went to a 16-game schedule, only two teams that finished at least 9-7 has been kept out of the NCAA tournament. And, while the Big Ten has been panned nationally -- it ranks sixth in conference RPI and doesn't have a team in the top 10 nationally -- league coaches contend there is quality there.

"There are as many good teams as any league in the country," Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien said. "What we haven't had is one team who can carry the banner."

Many of the coaches say they think the Big Ten deserves six teams in the tournament -- it had at least six in four of the past five dances. With Indiana, Ohio State, Illinois and Wisconsin virtual locks for the tournament, and Michigan State sporting a high RPI, the Gophers could end up being that sixth team.

"We have to approach it like we have to win every game," Monson said. "We need to win the Big Ten tournament (and receive the league's automatic bid) to know for sure. I know we don't have enough right now."

As for all that talk about how Michigan State might be a bubble team. Well, forget about it. Because entering the final weekend of Big Ten regular-season play, the Spartans are playing as well as any team in the conference.

After losing five of their first nine conference games, the Spartans have won five of six. In the process, Michigan State has defeated Ohio State twice and Indiana.

The return of forward Adam Ballinger and point guard Marcus Taylor -- the team's two leading scorers -- has been a huge factor. One of the two has led the Spartans in scoring during each game of their four-game winning streak. On Tuesday night, Taylor scored a career-high 32 in a 81-76 victory at Ohio State.

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