-It's been a very physical game today and Mizzou doesn't typically do very well in those kinds of matchups. But the team's mostly played through the extra contact pretty well. Arkansas' got the edge on the boards but it hasn't led to an edge in second-chance points. Mizzou's struggled to get inside but has gotten to the free throw line and hit a couple of 3s. It's a much better first-half effort than what the team showed in its last game against Arkansas.
-Those 3s from Nick Honor have been huge. He's seemed a lot more comfortable pulling up for and knocking down those contested looks from deep. Arkansas' done a good job of limiting Mizzou from any easy layups in the lane (but also, the Tigers kinda stink at finishing around the rim), so the kickouts to Nick have been huge in keeping them in the game.
-Defensively, Mizzou couldn't help but foul down the stretch, which helped Arkansas to get into a rhythm. Khalif Battle's been scoring from everywhere and the defensive attention he's drawn has opened things up for the team's other players. Missouri also had some of the worst defense I've ever seen on an inbound pass that led to an and-1 for the Razorbacks. I think the plan was for Aidan Shaw and Sean East to trap Makhi Mitchell, but Mabor Majak didn't help on the man that Shaw left, leading to the easy bucket. Mistakes in communication like that have killed them today.
-It's been a little while since we saw a really good performance from Tamar Bates, he's been in a bad shooting slump the last couple of games (shooting 27% from the field in his last 3). They could really use a return to form from him, Sean East can only carry the team so much.
-Given that MIzzou shot 40.7%, to only be down by two at the half is pretty good. The game isn't out of reach yet but to win this one, the Tigers have to show something in the second half that they just haven't in conference play. There's a first time for everything, though.
-Those 3s from Nick Honor have been huge. He's seemed a lot more comfortable pulling up for and knocking down those contested looks from deep. Arkansas' done a good job of limiting Mizzou from any easy layups in the lane (but also, the Tigers kinda stink at finishing around the rim), so the kickouts to Nick have been huge in keeping them in the game.
-Defensively, Mizzou couldn't help but foul down the stretch, which helped Arkansas to get into a rhythm. Khalif Battle's been scoring from everywhere and the defensive attention he's drawn has opened things up for the team's other players. Missouri also had some of the worst defense I've ever seen on an inbound pass that led to an and-1 for the Razorbacks. I think the plan was for Aidan Shaw and Sean East to trap Makhi Mitchell, but Mabor Majak didn't help on the man that Shaw left, leading to the easy bucket. Mistakes in communication like that have killed them today.
-It's been a little while since we saw a really good performance from Tamar Bates, he's been in a bad shooting slump the last couple of games (shooting 27% from the field in his last 3). They could really use a return to form from him, Sean East can only carry the team so much.
-Given that MIzzou shot 40.7%, to only be down by two at the half is pretty good. The game isn't out of reach yet but to win this one, the Tigers have to show something in the second half that they just haven't in conference play. There's a first time for everything, though.
