Yes, it was just Incarnate Word, who is admittedly awful. But as a few other Power Five teams have shown the past couple days, you never know what you're going to get when a team takes the floor in front of fans for the first time. Mizzou took care of business. That's all you could ask.
A few quick takeaways:
-- I just finished writing about Jeremiah Tilmon. Tonight, he looked like an all-SEC player. I thought his defense was just as impressive, if not more so, than his offense, and Cuonzo Martin said the same thing. If he can be an aggressive rim protector like he was tonight, it makes the entire defense so much better. Of course, we've seen these types of performances from him before. The question will be whether he can avoid a game where he is a non-factor due to fouls.
-- Mizzou pushed the pace more than we saw much of last year, and it looked good doing it. Xavier Pinson, specifically, was able to get down the floor quickly and make things happen, whether it was drawing a foul or dishing an assist or scoring himself. It's obviously too small a sample size, but he's an early candidate for most improved player. Will be interested to see if that continues against better competition.
-- We clearly know who the top 11 guys are. I don't think it's likely Parker Braun or, especially, Axel Okongo see meaningful minutes this year unless there is crazy foul trouble. And I even think one of Mitchell Smith or Reed Nikko is going to play less in a more meaningful game.
-- Neither Kobe Brown nor Tray Jackson did a ton tonight, but they were both solid, and their shooting ability and athleticism made a clear difference for the offense. Their ability to space the floor opened things up for Tilmon and the guards, and both players showed an ability to put the ball on the floor and drive. I think they'll be a big upgrade at the four spot on the offensive end, though I'm still curious if they can hold up defensively and in rebounding against SEC power forwards.
-- Cuonzo said after the game he wasn't worried about the missed threes (Mizzou shot 7-31 from behind the arc), so I'm not either. I didn't think the Tigers took hardly any bad shots. They'll fall eventually. If anything, it's encouraging that Mizzou found a way to score 82 points while making 22.6 percent of threes.
I'll have another story up in the morning. Gabe will be here for the Northern Kentucky game on Friday.
A few quick takeaways:
-- I just finished writing about Jeremiah Tilmon. Tonight, he looked like an all-SEC player. I thought his defense was just as impressive, if not more so, than his offense, and Cuonzo Martin said the same thing. If he can be an aggressive rim protector like he was tonight, it makes the entire defense so much better. Of course, we've seen these types of performances from him before. The question will be whether he can avoid a game where he is a non-factor due to fouls.
-- Mizzou pushed the pace more than we saw much of last year, and it looked good doing it. Xavier Pinson, specifically, was able to get down the floor quickly and make things happen, whether it was drawing a foul or dishing an assist or scoring himself. It's obviously too small a sample size, but he's an early candidate for most improved player. Will be interested to see if that continues against better competition.
-- We clearly know who the top 11 guys are. I don't think it's likely Parker Braun or, especially, Axel Okongo see meaningful minutes this year unless there is crazy foul trouble. And I even think one of Mitchell Smith or Reed Nikko is going to play less in a more meaningful game.
-- Neither Kobe Brown nor Tray Jackson did a ton tonight, but they were both solid, and their shooting ability and athleticism made a clear difference for the offense. Their ability to space the floor opened things up for Tilmon and the guards, and both players showed an ability to put the ball on the floor and drive. I think they'll be a big upgrade at the four spot on the offensive end, though I'm still curious if they can hold up defensively and in rebounding against SEC power forwards.
-- Cuonzo said after the game he wasn't worried about the missed threes (Mizzou shot 7-31 from behind the arc), so I'm not either. I didn't think the Tigers took hardly any bad shots. They'll fall eventually. If anything, it's encouraging that Mizzou found a way to score 82 points while making 22.6 percent of threes.
I'll have another story up in the morning. Gabe will be here for the Northern Kentucky game on Friday.
