-In my preview, I wrote that one of the keys for Mizzou was to generate turnovers. The team's been at its best when that happens. Those first few possessions to start the game off were what it needed to look. It trailed off after that. MSU is too good in halfcourt defense (and Mizzou too bad in its halfcourt offense) for fast breaks to not play a bigger factor.
-The other issue for Missouri is that it's been even more reckless with the ball. Some of the turnovers were careless (that backcourt pass from Curt Lewis was worthy of a facepalm) but the Bulldogs have also been applying a lot of ball pressure that hasn't made life easy. Mizzou's gotta tighten up moving the ball around.
-Defensively, Mizzou's done a halfway decent job against Tolu Smith - and by that I mean, he hasn't completely taken the game over (Jordan Butler wasn't a disaster guarding him). The issue is, it's come at the expense of leaving shooters open from beyond the arc. I don't think it's the worst strategy since MSU is a below-average shooting team. But I do think Mizzou can do a better job of covering the guys who have been hot. The key is just to keep making the right players settle for 3s and keep from sending MSU to the free throw line.
-On the other end, Mizzou's gotta hit its open shots and layups. They're 5-9 going for layups so far and have rimmed out on a couple of other good looks. That's been the issue all season, though. Somebody other than Nick Honor has to score.
-Gabe makes a good point.
-Mizzou shot 37.5% from the field and committed 10 turnovers and is somehow only down four points. If they can improve, even a little bit, they'll have a chance to pull this one out. But again, how much do you trust them to improve?
-The other issue for Missouri is that it's been even more reckless with the ball. Some of the turnovers were careless (that backcourt pass from Curt Lewis was worthy of a facepalm) but the Bulldogs have also been applying a lot of ball pressure that hasn't made life easy. Mizzou's gotta tighten up moving the ball around.
-Defensively, Mizzou's done a halfway decent job against Tolu Smith - and by that I mean, he hasn't completely taken the game over (Jordan Butler wasn't a disaster guarding him). The issue is, it's come at the expense of leaving shooters open from beyond the arc. I don't think it's the worst strategy since MSU is a below-average shooting team. But I do think Mizzou can do a better job of covering the guys who have been hot. The key is just to keep making the right players settle for 3s and keep from sending MSU to the free throw line.
-On the other end, Mizzou's gotta hit its open shots and layups. They're 5-9 going for layups so far and have rimmed out on a couple of other good looks. That's been the issue all season, though. Somebody other than Nick Honor has to score.
-Gabe makes a good point.
-Mizzou shot 37.5% from the field and committed 10 turnovers and is somehow only down four points. If they can improve, even a little bit, they'll have a chance to pull this one out. But again, how much do you trust them to improve?
