Former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson coined the phrase during the Razorbacks’ dominant run through the early 1990s. He was asked what he wanted opponents to experience going against a full-court press from opening tip to final buzzer.

Richardson’s answer: “40 minutes of hell.”

Richardson is no longer a college basketball coach, but his philosophy is alive and well at Missouri. First-year coach Mike Anderson, who spent several seasons as an assistant to Richardson, employed the philosophy during a successful run at Alabama-Birmingham and does the same now in Columbia.

Everywhere on the floor, there’s a potential trap that leads to a steal or a bad pass. Anything to keep opponents out of rhythm.

At times, it works.

Saturday, Missouri forced Oklahoma State into 21 turnovers and upset the Cowboys at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Other times, it hasn’t.

That’s why the Tigers (16-9, 5-7 Big 12) are currently in the conference’s second division.

The question is how well will Oklahoma (15-10, 6-6) handle the pressure when it meets Missouri at 6 tonight at Mizzou Arena.

The jury is still out because the Sooners haven’t played against anything like the Tigers’ system before.

Teams that employ a full-court press for an entire game are as common as teams that only start seniors. They’re just not around much any more.

OU coach Jeff Capel believes that’s what makes it so tough to get ready to play a team like Missouri.

“You don’t see it much and you don’t have a lot of time to prepare for it,” he said.

But there’s no mystery in what it takes to be successful. Make smart decisions and playing against a press can turn into a layup drill.

“The key is to have no fear. You can’t be afraid,” point guard Bobby Maze said.