I came into this game believing Missouri was more likely to lose than win, and fully expecting to not be bothered by a loss. I'm still not pushing the panic button about the NCAA Tournament (although there's obviously still a ton of work to do on that front) or the program's future under Cuonzo Martin, but that game certainly raises some concerns.
First of all, I want to say that Tennessee is really good. Like, maybe Final Four good. That defensive performance was one of the best I've seen. They're long and athletic and deep and well-coached. They beat a top 15 team by 20 points on the road while shooting just seven threes. The Vols are clearly the team to beat in the SEC. But Missouri didn't just lose to them, there was never a single possession in that game where it looked like the Tigers might be the better team. It was a total domination. Tennessee found solid looks against Missouri's defense and made some tough shots to boot, and they completely flummoxed Missouri's offense.
Let's start with that offense. This team flat out cannot shoot, and no matter what Cuonzo says, it's a problem. The Tigers were 3-16 from three tonight. Over the past three games, they're now 11-58. That's 19 percent. Tennessee did the smart thing and packed the paint and contested absolutely everything around the rim. As a result, Mizzou shot just 7-17 on "layups," and that wasn't a bunch of missed bunnies, either. This team desperately needs someone to pose some semblance of a threat from the perimeter so opponents can't do that all the time. Mark Smith could be that guy, but he attempted just two shots tonight, neither from three. Tennessee did do a good job of denying him the ball, but at a certain point, Smith has to go get it and try to make a play to get himself involved. Martin said it's on the coaching staff to get Smith more looks, which might be partially true, but we've seen this disappearing act from him against the better competition before. Missouri can't have him taking just two shots and win many SEC games. Aside from Smith, I don't feel confident when anyone else on Mizzou's roster attempts a three, and it's pretty apparent they don't feel confident, either. Mizzou might have a game here or there where they get hot from three, but the last two seasons tell me this is probably closer to a 25 percent three-point shooting team than 35 percent, and that's a definite cause for concern against the longer, more athletic teams you're going to face in the SEC.
The other issue for the offense was turnovers. Mizzou turned it over 21 times in the game, and actually 21 times in the first 34 minutes. Tonight's turnover rate of 30.9 percent was fourth-highest in any game under Martin. Not a good recipe to beat the No. 7 team in the country. Dru Smith had five of those turnovers, Mark Smith had three, Xavier Pinson had two and it felt like more. You need your experienced backcourt to be better, plain and simple.
On the other end of the floor, I didn't actually think Mizzou defended too poorly (aside from a few oles by Parker Braun, who showed why he doesn't play as often as a lot of people on here want him to). Tennessee made some tough shots, especially early. But my one concern is the defensive rebounding. Tennessee rebounded 10 of its own misses and scored 12 second-chance points. The Vols' offensive rebounding rate of 28.6 percent should be considered very high, but it's really not by Missouri standards. The Tigers have actually allowed four other teams to rebound better than 30 percent of their own misses this season. That's something that needs to be cleaned up.
At this point, I see Missouri as a team with a pretty high floor on most nights thanks to its experience and balance, but also a relatively low ceiling. If an opponent that clearly has more talent, like Tennessee did, plays reasonably well, the Tigers are going to have to do something fairly unusual (like outscoring Illinois by nine at the free throw line) to keep up. But there's still plenty of time for this team to prove me wrong on that and prove to everyone else that it is closer to the team we saw in the first few games than the last two. Saturday will be another really tough test. Arkansas beat Auburn on the road tonight. The Hogs have now scored at least 85 points in four straight games. Mizzou should have opportunities to get out and run, which this offense needs, but you have to figure they'll need to shoot the ball quite a bit better to keep pace.
We have a story, a video and several other content items up tonight and will have more between now and that game, so consume it, please. Goodnight.
First of all, I want to say that Tennessee is really good. Like, maybe Final Four good. That defensive performance was one of the best I've seen. They're long and athletic and deep and well-coached. They beat a top 15 team by 20 points on the road while shooting just seven threes. The Vols are clearly the team to beat in the SEC. But Missouri didn't just lose to them, there was never a single possession in that game where it looked like the Tigers might be the better team. It was a total domination. Tennessee found solid looks against Missouri's defense and made some tough shots to boot, and they completely flummoxed Missouri's offense.
Let's start with that offense. This team flat out cannot shoot, and no matter what Cuonzo says, it's a problem. The Tigers were 3-16 from three tonight. Over the past three games, they're now 11-58. That's 19 percent. Tennessee did the smart thing and packed the paint and contested absolutely everything around the rim. As a result, Mizzou shot just 7-17 on "layups," and that wasn't a bunch of missed bunnies, either. This team desperately needs someone to pose some semblance of a threat from the perimeter so opponents can't do that all the time. Mark Smith could be that guy, but he attempted just two shots tonight, neither from three. Tennessee did do a good job of denying him the ball, but at a certain point, Smith has to go get it and try to make a play to get himself involved. Martin said it's on the coaching staff to get Smith more looks, which might be partially true, but we've seen this disappearing act from him against the better competition before. Missouri can't have him taking just two shots and win many SEC games. Aside from Smith, I don't feel confident when anyone else on Mizzou's roster attempts a three, and it's pretty apparent they don't feel confident, either. Mizzou might have a game here or there where they get hot from three, but the last two seasons tell me this is probably closer to a 25 percent three-point shooting team than 35 percent, and that's a definite cause for concern against the longer, more athletic teams you're going to face in the SEC.
The other issue for the offense was turnovers. Mizzou turned it over 21 times in the game, and actually 21 times in the first 34 minutes. Tonight's turnover rate of 30.9 percent was fourth-highest in any game under Martin. Not a good recipe to beat the No. 7 team in the country. Dru Smith had five of those turnovers, Mark Smith had three, Xavier Pinson had two and it felt like more. You need your experienced backcourt to be better, plain and simple.
On the other end of the floor, I didn't actually think Mizzou defended too poorly (aside from a few oles by Parker Braun, who showed why he doesn't play as often as a lot of people on here want him to). Tennessee made some tough shots, especially early. But my one concern is the defensive rebounding. Tennessee rebounded 10 of its own misses and scored 12 second-chance points. The Vols' offensive rebounding rate of 28.6 percent should be considered very high, but it's really not by Missouri standards. The Tigers have actually allowed four other teams to rebound better than 30 percent of their own misses this season. That's something that needs to be cleaned up.
At this point, I see Missouri as a team with a pretty high floor on most nights thanks to its experience and balance, but also a relatively low ceiling. If an opponent that clearly has more talent, like Tennessee did, plays reasonably well, the Tigers are going to have to do something fairly unusual (like outscoring Illinois by nine at the free throw line) to keep up. But there's still plenty of time for this team to prove me wrong on that and prove to everyone else that it is closer to the team we saw in the first few games than the last two. Saturday will be another really tough test. Arkansas beat Auburn on the road tonight. The Hogs have now scored at least 85 points in four straight games. Mizzou should have opportunities to get out and run, which this offense needs, but you have to figure they'll need to shoot the ball quite a bit better to keep pace.
We have a story, a video and several other content items up tonight and will have more between now and that game, so consume it, please. Goodnight.
