Anthony Robinson’s first year of college basketball didn’t go quite to plan.
He suffered a family loss, spent time sick and never quite got up to speed as his team fell in every conference game it played.
His second season has gone much better.
He became a regular in the starting lineup, became the only underclassmen on the All-SEC Defensive Team and has gone to Wichita for his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m definitely excited for this opportunity,” Robinson said. “And you know, I won’t take it for granted. You know, just go out there and have fun.”
Robinson, like many members of this year’s Missouri Tiger team, is at the tournament for the first time, but he has teammates like Mark Mitchell, Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates to turn to, to ask about playing on the biggest stage possible in college basketball.
“They said it’s going to be like a regular game,” Robinson said. “You know, don’t be too nervous, just be excited that you’re here. Give it your all because, you know, you might not ever come back around.”
But though his team is a No. 6 seed, the defensive-minded guard won’t have an easy assignment Thursday.
Missouri plays an ever-switching defense, leaving every defender on every offensive player sooner or later, but Robinson’s main focus will likely need to be on Drake guard Bennett Stirtz, who leads the Bulldogs not just in points (19.1 per game) and assists (5.7 per game) but also in minutes played at nearly 39:30 out of 40.
“He’s a great player,” Robinson said. “... I’m just gonna stick to coach’s game plan and we’re going to, you know, play him hard. He’s a great player, so it’s going to be, it’s going to be a hard task for our team tomorrow.”
“He has great pace, he is a high-IQ guy, so he does a lot for their team and you know, we’re going to do our best to slow him down,” Robinson added.
Robinson’s main issue in his sophomore season has been getting into foul trouble because of the aggressive defensive style he plays, it can lead to big rewards, but comes with a lot of risks if the Tigers are forced to play without their best defender for large swaths of time, especially in the first half.
But that’s not going to change the style Robinson has used to become one of the premiere defenders in the toughest conference in college basketball.
“Defense is my calling card,” Robinson said. “So I’m going to go out there, you know, show them what I’ve been doing all year and just who I am as a person.”
But as Robinson prepares for a tough defensive assignment, he’s continuing to relish not just being in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, but getting to play so close to home.
“I was excited,” Robinson said of finding out the Tigers would play in Wichita, just five hours west of Columbia. “... Fans can come by, it won’t be a far drive, so they can come in and support us. You know, excited to see our name out there, great opportunity for our team.”
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