That was a disgusting half of basketball. It started out well for Mizzou, but that was really just because Georgia refused to get back on defense and Mizzou got four straight layups. Since starting 5-7 from the field, Missouri is 8-28, including 3-12 from three. The good news for the Tigers (but bad news for my eyes) is that Georgia has generally been just as bad. The Bulldogs are shooting 13-33 from the field and 3-9 from three. Gross. Georgia did, however, make its last six field goals of the half, which is why it was able to build up a bit of a lead until Xavier Pinson hit that buzzer-beater. Maybe that will spark some life into Mizzou.
Let’s dive into some of the ugly details. Georgia, predictably, has clearly committed to not letting Jeremiah Tilmon beat it around the basket. Tilmon has just four points on 1-3 shooting. I’m not surprised Tom Crean is doing everything in his power to keep Mizzou from dominating in the low post this time around, but I am a bit surprised at how effective Georgia has been at keeping Tilmon from ever getting decent position down low. Almost every time he has caught it, he’s been too far away from the hoop to just turn and score. I also think Tilmon looks like he’s pressing a bit too much for the second game in a row. In a perfect world, Mizzou finds a way to get him going in non post-up ways, like on a screen and roll or in transition.
With Missouri struggling to get the ball inside, it started jacking up the threes (once Georgia realized it had to play defense). There was a stretch where five of the team’s six shots came from behind the arc. Mitchell Smith, who played an exceptionally poor half all around, had the two worst misses. That has been corrected a bit of late, but the Tigers have also missed a ton of shots around the rim. The stats page lists them as shooting 6-9 on layups, but that definitely excludes a few short misses. Dru Smith alone has missed at least three.
On the other end, Georgia got bit by the turnover bug. The Bulldogs turned it over eight times in that half, which led to 13 Mizzou points. Certainly give the Tigers some credit for that. Six of those turnovers came on steals. The question is how Missouri is going to be able to score if Georgia stops giving them opportunities with live ball turnover. I thought it has to be spreading the floor with four or five guys on the perimeter, which opens up the lane and allows for some more driving and cutting. That’s when the offense looked best in the first half. Look for more of that in the second, especially with Pinson heating up a bit. The layups should start falling eventually.
Let’s dive into some of the ugly details. Georgia, predictably, has clearly committed to not letting Jeremiah Tilmon beat it around the basket. Tilmon has just four points on 1-3 shooting. I’m not surprised Tom Crean is doing everything in his power to keep Mizzou from dominating in the low post this time around, but I am a bit surprised at how effective Georgia has been at keeping Tilmon from ever getting decent position down low. Almost every time he has caught it, he’s been too far away from the hoop to just turn and score. I also think Tilmon looks like he’s pressing a bit too much for the second game in a row. In a perfect world, Mizzou finds a way to get him going in non post-up ways, like on a screen and roll or in transition.
With Missouri struggling to get the ball inside, it started jacking up the threes (once Georgia realized it had to play defense). There was a stretch where five of the team’s six shots came from behind the arc. Mitchell Smith, who played an exceptionally poor half all around, had the two worst misses. That has been corrected a bit of late, but the Tigers have also missed a ton of shots around the rim. The stats page lists them as shooting 6-9 on layups, but that definitely excludes a few short misses. Dru Smith alone has missed at least three.
On the other end, Georgia got bit by the turnover bug. The Bulldogs turned it over eight times in that half, which led to 13 Mizzou points. Certainly give the Tigers some credit for that. Six of those turnovers came on steals. The question is how Missouri is going to be able to score if Georgia stops giving them opportunities with live ball turnover. I thought it has to be spreading the floor with four or five guys on the perimeter, which opens up the lane and allows for some more driving and cutting. That’s when the offense looked best in the first half. Look for more of that in the second, especially with Pinson heating up a bit. The layups should start falling eventually.
