by By Luke Thompson St. Louis Post-Dispatch , St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lyons said he's always watched the NBA draft, and he's had more interest the past few years as some of his friends have made it to the league. But like this year's NCAA selection show, when the Tigers made the tournament for the first time since 2003, this year holds a special significance.

Since Lyons and Carroll are represented by the same agent, Mark Bartelstein, a workout with Detroit was the only time the two got to play together while training in front of all 30 teams. But the senior leaders of the Big 12 tournament champions stayed in touch and offered each other advice throughout the workouts.

"The process of working out with teams gets real hard on you," Lyons said. "You get down, it can wear your body down. We just share the motivation off of each other."

Both players returned to school for their senior seasons after testing the draft waters last year and being told they weren't likely to be selected. That decision has paid off so far - the pair led Missouri to a school-record 31 wins and its first Elite Eight since 2002 - but Carroll and Lyons aren't assured of being a part of the draft. However, both are projected by most forecasters to be selected sometime in the second round, where contracts aren't guaranteed.

Questions linger for both players. For Carroll, it's the undisclosed liver problem that Bartelstein expected to be resolved by a doctor's note sent out to every team last Friday. For Lyons, it's the questions about off-the-court issues that led to three suspensions in the last three years.

"I don't know, I'm just waiting to see," Lyons said. "I just want the opportunity to go play and play in this league for a while and blossom and become a star."

Lyons, who was often called Missouri's most talented player, didn't have an ideal senior season. His scoring average increased from 13.1 his junior year to 14.1 in 2008-2009, but he also had some setbacks.

A traffic violation resulted in a one-game suspension, and Lyons' defense and rebounding were often called into question. After sitting out against Colorado, the Kansas City, Kan., native came off the bench for five games behind junior Keith Ramsey, a stronger defensive player.

But Lyons had his moments, including a career-high 30 points against Baylor in his return to the starting lineup.

"I had a role at Missouri," Lyons said. "I couldn't go out there and just do what I wanted to. I had to go out there and follow a game plan, so that's what I did. There's a lot of things that I can do that people don't even know I can do."

Lyons said those things include driving to the basket more and extending the range of his jump shot.

Even if tonight doesn't go as planned, Lyons still won't give up on his dream. Whether it's through free agency, the developmental league, or even basketball overseas, the former Tiger said he'll keep working for his opportunity to make an NBA roster.

Carroll was a better fit for Mike Anderson's fast-paced style, and Anderson never seemed to get tired of praising his nephew's heart and hard work, which earned him the moniker "Junkyard Dog." Reports have indicated NBA scouts were impressed as well, causing him to shoot up some draft boards since workouts began.

The All-Big 12 first-team selection led Missouri with 16.6 points and 7.2 rebounds a game. He played more minutes that any other Tiger and was the closest thing Missouri had to a go-to player in pressure situations. He also improved his range dramatically, making 16 out of 44 3-pointers last season.

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