That type of start was the fear after Missouri got a big win on Tuesday night, didn’t have time to travel home and had to play another road game against an opponent that likes to get up and down. Missouri just didn’t look ready for the speed and athleticism of Auburn. It made just one of its first eight shots and three of its first 16 and allowed Auburn to jump out to a 14-point lead. The reason this is still a game, however, is because Sharife Cooper had to sit the final five minutes of the half after picking up this third foul. Missouri absolutely had to take advantage of his absence, and it did, finishing the half on a 19-9 run to cut the deficit to four.
While there are some legitimate excuses for Missouri given the travel schedule, you have to question a few aspects of that half. Namely, the shot selection early. Missouri has not been a good three-point shooting team for two years now. Yet the Tigers came out and jacked up 10 threes in that half, including five the first four minutes. It wasn’t the right guys taking them, either. Mitchell Smith and Kobe Brown each attempted three. It wasn’t a coincidence that when Missouri started going inside to Jeremiah Tilmon, its fortunes started to improve. Also, why on earth was this the game Jordan Wilmore needed three minutes in the first half? He clearly couldn’t keep up with Auburn, resulting in Mizzou playing defense 5 on 4. Not to mention Tilmon has been Missouri’s best player this half (he just has to work on making dunks apparently). He has nine points and four rebounds. Lastly, while the team did a better job of getting the ball inside as that half went on, it needs to do a better job of finishing at the rim. Auburn has some good shot-blockers, but still, Mizzou went 6-17 on layups and dunks during the first 20 minutes. That should never happen.
The defense has been a major issue, and it hasn’t been transition defense, for the most part, which I would have figured would be more cause for concern. First of all, Missouri doesn’t have anyone who can stay in front of Sharife Cooper. He already has seven points (and seven free throw attempts) plus five assists. His penetration created so many open looks for his teammates, be they at the rim or from three. I thought Javon Pickett actually did the best job of anyone at defending him. Wouldn’t be surprised to see more Pickett on Cooper in the second half. But even with Cooper out of the game, Mizzou allowed penetration seemingly at will, which set up open looks. Eight of Auburn’s 13 made field goals came on either layups or dunks. They also left Chris Moore absolutely wide open for a pair of threes, which had to be a defensive breakdown. When your team struggles this badly to shoot, you can’t give up that many easy scoring opportunities.
Mizzou is certainly still in this thing, but obviously they need to start this second half better than the first. I think the first four to six minutes here could be decisive if Auburn can pull away again with Cooper back on the floor. On the flip side, if Missouri can settle in on the defensive end or draw another foul on Cooper, I like their experience in a close game down the stretch.
While there are some legitimate excuses for Missouri given the travel schedule, you have to question a few aspects of that half. Namely, the shot selection early. Missouri has not been a good three-point shooting team for two years now. Yet the Tigers came out and jacked up 10 threes in that half, including five the first four minutes. It wasn’t the right guys taking them, either. Mitchell Smith and Kobe Brown each attempted three. It wasn’t a coincidence that when Missouri started going inside to Jeremiah Tilmon, its fortunes started to improve. Also, why on earth was this the game Jordan Wilmore needed three minutes in the first half? He clearly couldn’t keep up with Auburn, resulting in Mizzou playing defense 5 on 4. Not to mention Tilmon has been Missouri’s best player this half (he just has to work on making dunks apparently). He has nine points and four rebounds. Lastly, while the team did a better job of getting the ball inside as that half went on, it needs to do a better job of finishing at the rim. Auburn has some good shot-blockers, but still, Mizzou went 6-17 on layups and dunks during the first 20 minutes. That should never happen.
The defense has been a major issue, and it hasn’t been transition defense, for the most part, which I would have figured would be more cause for concern. First of all, Missouri doesn’t have anyone who can stay in front of Sharife Cooper. He already has seven points (and seven free throw attempts) plus five assists. His penetration created so many open looks for his teammates, be they at the rim or from three. I thought Javon Pickett actually did the best job of anyone at defending him. Wouldn’t be surprised to see more Pickett on Cooper in the second half. But even with Cooper out of the game, Mizzou allowed penetration seemingly at will, which set up open looks. Eight of Auburn’s 13 made field goals came on either layups or dunks. They also left Chris Moore absolutely wide open for a pair of threes, which had to be a defensive breakdown. When your team struggles this badly to shoot, you can’t give up that many easy scoring opportunities.
Mizzou is certainly still in this thing, but obviously they need to start this second half better than the first. I think the first four to six minutes here could be decisive if Auburn can pull away again with Cooper back on the floor. On the flip side, if Missouri can settle in on the defensive end or draw another foul on Cooper, I like their experience in a close game down the stretch.