Taylor impressive in Black and Gold game

Freshman guard Marcus Denmon’s offensive outburst was the big story from last night’s Black and Gold game, which the Black team won 110-84.

Although he garnered less attention than his freshman teammate, transfer guard Zaire Taylor also turned in a noteworthy performance for the Black squad. Taylor finished the game with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. He also had 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals from the point guard spot.

After the game, both players and coaches complimented the 6-foot-4 guard, who Rivals.com named the No. 2 Impact Transfer in the country.

“Zaire gives us another dimension, a big guard that’s quick and can score,” coach Mike Anderson said.

Anderson said that Taylor also impressed him with his unselfishness.

Senior Matt Lawrence said Taylor’s contributions on the boards as a guard will be especially beneficial to the Tigers, who struggled rebounding last year.

“I like bigger guards,” Lawrence said. “He pushed the ball up the floor. He distributed well and got the ball inside. He ran our offense.”

Taylor played a game-high 36 minutes in the game. With only two players on each bench, a total of eight players were on the floor for over 30 minutes. Coach Anderson said fatigue was a factor for many of the players in the second half.

J.T. Tiller, who scored 17 points in 32 minutes of action for the Gold team, said he was tired in the second half.

“We just got tired and let the game slip away from us,” Tiller said.

Saturday practice notes

I went to the open practice that the men’s team held yesterday afternoon before the football game.

From watching practice and speaking with coach Anderson, the point guard and shooting guard positions are up for grabs. Junior returner  J.T. Tiller is competing with junior transfer Zaire Taylor and freshmen Kimmie English, Miguel Paul and Marcus Denmon for backcourt minutes.

Defensively, Tiller was the most impressive of the group at Saturday’s practice. By sticking his hands in the passing lanes, Tiller repeatedly came away with steals and started fastbreaks. He also showed off some of his quickness and jumping ability when he raced down the court and then soared to jam a lob pass.

On offense, it was Paul who stood out Saturday. He shot threes comfortably from the new longer distance, handled full-court pressure well, and made plays going to the basket for himself and teammates despite his diminutive 6-foot-1-inch, 172-pound frame.

Coach Anderson likes the competition, because he said it motivates players to work hard. Anderson was reluctant to say if anyone had separated himself from the pack, but he did say that right now Tiller and Taylor are the favorites because of their experience.

Missouri’s top two scorers from last season, Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll, are the likely starters at the four and five spots, with Matt Lawrence starting at the three position, like he did for most of last year.

Notes: Carroll made three three-point shots during a scrimmage at the end of practice, the same number of threes he made all of last year … Anderson said one benefit of the longer three-point line is that it clears space for his interior players … The team broke into roughly even black and gold squads for the second half of practice and played seven four-minute periods. They ended tied at 59, but the black team won in a free throw competition … The scrimmage brought out the competitive side of the players. With the game tied and five seconds remaining, Tiller brought a white board onto the floor to diagram a play for his squad.