Over his 20 seasons as a head coach, Anderson has compiled a 414–235 record, 11 20-win campaigns, 9 NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet 16 berths and a run to the 2009 Elite Eight.

Anderson is one of just 3 current Division I head coaches with 15+ years of experience and no losing seasons, along with Mark Few and Tom Izzo.

Anderson moved on to Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, where he was spotted by an opposing coach named Nolan Richardson.

In Anderson's two years with the Golden Hurricane he averaged 12 points a game, and the team won an NIT title and gained an NCAA tournament berth.

Anderson quickly turned the program around, leading the team to 22 wins and a National Invitation Tournament Quarterfinals appearance.

Anderson's first team, a collection of transfers and raw talent, went 18–12 but missed out on post-season play after a loss to Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament.

His 2007–08 campaign saw the inclusion of his nephew DeMarre Carroll, a transfer from Vanderbilt, but also was hit by scandal, as a group of players (the "Athena Five", so named for where the incident took place) were arrested for a fight in a Columbia nightclub.

Before the season, starting forward Kalen Grimes had been dismissed from the team after being arrested for hitting a man with the butt of a shotgun.

The Tigers season got off to a great start with a 9–1 record including wins over USC and Cal and a close loss to a top 25 team (Xavier) in Puerto Rico.

The Tigers then won the Big 12 Conference tournament by defeating Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Baylor (Mar.

[3] Victories over Cornell, Marquette and Memphis pushed the Tigers into the Elite 8, where top-seeded UConn ended Missouri's run with an 82–75 win.

[4] The other 9 finalists were John Calipari, Memphis; Bill Self (eventual winner), Kansas; Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh; Mike Montgomery, California; Stew Morrill, Utah State; Matt Painter, Purdue; Oliver Purnell, Clemson, and Brad Stevens, Butler.

During the final month of Anderson's tenure at the University of Missouri, his name became linked with the Arkansas opening because of John Pelphrey's increasingly unstable job status.

On March 4, 2011, Anderson dismissed the rumors, telling Columbia Tribune sportswriter Steve Walentik he planned to stay at MU for "a long time, retire here.

Improving its SEC Tournament seeding by two spots for the second straight year under Anderson, Arkansas finished fifth in the league standings at 10–8 while reaching the 20-win plateau (22–12) for the first time since the aforementioned 2007–08 campaign.

The Arkansas faithful saw signs of the Nolan Richardson-era style of play that Anderson utilizes, as the Razorbacks led the SEC in scoring (80.1), assists (15.3), steals (8.4), and turnover margin (+5.5), figures that all ranked in the top 30 in the nation.

He signed three of the top six junior college players (Jaylen Barford, Daryl Macon, and Arlando Cook) in the off-season to load the Razorback roster up for a tournament run.

With preseason SEC Player of the Year Moses Kingsley and sharpshooter Dusty Hannahs returning to lead the squad, the Razorbacks finished the regular season 23–8.

They tied South Carolina for third in the league with a conference record of 12–6, and advanced to the finals of the SEC tournament, losing to Kentucky 82–65.

8-seeded Razorbacks advanced to the NCAA tournament and defeated Seton Hall in their first game before falling to top-seeded and eventual national champion North Carolina in the second round, 72–65.

[22][23] Nephew DeMarre Carroll was Missouri's leading scorer his senior year in 2008–09, played 11 seasons in the NBA and is currently an assistant coach for the Lakers.