Being a defensive guy is what sets you apart

Before yesterday's disappointing loss at Kansas, Missouri guard J.T. Tiller had helped his team to seven straight wins

As this writer puts it, Tiller is "the tenacious face of coach Mike Anderson's fire-drill defense... the quintessential Anderson player. Unselfish and unsung. Responsible and relentless."

Tiller, who Coach Anderson refers to as his "glue guy," says his upbringing (his father was in the U.S. Navy for 20 years) helped shape his game.

"I just like to bring that energy and frustrate the other guard, not let him do what he came into the game expecting to do. I know my team counts on me to do it, and I want to do that job. That is something I was always brought up and taught to do. Everybody can learn how to play offense, but being that defensive guy is what sets you apart from the other guys. If I can keep their main scorer from getting his average, that gives the other team grief."