I first saw the final box score shortly after 5 this morning. I always read the team total stat lines first, because basketball is first and foremost, a team game.

FG shooting numbers were pretty good--especially given the shot selection some of the Tigers have shown this year. 17 of 19 free throws. That’s outstanding.  13 assists and 5 turnovers.  Also outstanding.  Based on that part of the box score, you would assume that the team posting those numbers won--and maybe won by blowout.

Then, one number got my attention. 19 rebounds. 19 rebounds?  19!  OK, how many boards did Colorado State come up with?  42.  Forty Two?  "What the...".  The mind can play tricks on you at 5 in the morning--even if you're used to being at work at that hour.  Maybe I wasn't seeing straight.  I looked very carefully at the screen to make sure that I was seeing this correctly. Took off the reading glasses and squinted at the screen. Put the readers back on and looked again.  42 rebounds for the Colorado State Rams. 19 for the Missouri Tigers.  Final Score--CSU 84 Mizzou 72. ..And it could have been a lot worse.

I was well aware that the Rams were pretty good at crashing the boards, but until I convinced myself that there couldn’t be a typo in that box score, I did not live in a world where it was possible for Alex Oriaki, Lawrence Bowers and their associates to be outrebounded by better than a 2 to 1 margin.

Perhaps my wisest decision of the week was to turn off the TV and go to bed at halftime.

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