* Regardless of how the game progressed after the first few minutes, I was going to type that tonight marked progress for Missouri. In all of its previous four games, the Tigers got hit in the mouth to start the game and pretty much folded. They were completely out of all those games by halftime. So when Mizzou hung around early and then took a little bit of a lead, I was prepared to compliment the team despite the Ole Miss run that felt imminent because I have watched this team all year.
That run never came. In fact, it was Mizzou who outscored the Rebels 12-2 to close the half. Kermit Davis was so mad he called all four of his timeouts in the first 19 minutes. I’ve never seen that before.
* That was almost certainly the best half of basketball the Tigers have played this season. Jimmy Dykes was correct when he said that Mizzou plays much better offensively against zone than it does against man, which is kind of counterintuitive since this team is so bad at shooting. But I think that had much less to do with the Rebels’ defensive scheme than it did Missouri attacking the basket. It seems so maddeningly simple: when this team doesn’t settle for threes, its offense is so, so much better. Missouri only shot four times from behind the arc in that first half. It shot 23 two-pointers. It made 13 of them. Keep doing that. Amari Davis and Javon Pickett have been the most effective attackers. Davis looks like the player he was billed to be, shooting 5-5 from the field, all from inside the arc.
* One of the most remarkable things about that first half was that Mizzou didn’t need Kobe Brown to do all the scoring. Brown only has five points. But the fact that he was able to avoid foul trouble was huge. There were several times where it was apparent that the defensive attention Ole Miss had to pay to him opened up shots for his teammates.
* Actually better than the Missouri offense was its defense and rebounding. Ole Miss is shooting just 8-31 from the floor. The Rebels made just one of their last 13 shots. Missouri is doing a great job of staying in front of the Ole Miss guards in the halfcourt and contesting everything. The Tigers have three blocks and have altered a number of other shots. And they haven’t allowed Ole Miss to grab many of its own misses. Mizzou is dominating on the glass, 22-14, and has out-scored Ole Miss 8-4 in second-chance points despite the Rebels having a lot more chances at offensive rebounds.
* Speaking of blocks, Trevon Brazile has a chance to be special. He’s shown an uncanny ability to be in the right place on both the offensive and defensive ends. It’s easy to forget this is like his 10th college game ever. And his length and bounce are things Mizzou simply doesn’t have elsewhere on the roster. If he can also knock down a few jumpers like he has so far tonight, his ceiling is extremely high.
* The number one priority in the second half needs to be taking care of the ball. That was the one area in which Missouri struggled in the first half, turning it over nine times. The easiest way for Ole Miss to get back into this game would be by generating scoring opportunities and momentum through turnovers. Avoid that, keep doing what it’s doing elsewhere offensively, and Mizzou just might win a game on the road.
That run never came. In fact, it was Mizzou who outscored the Rebels 12-2 to close the half. Kermit Davis was so mad he called all four of his timeouts in the first 19 minutes. I’ve never seen that before.
* That was almost certainly the best half of basketball the Tigers have played this season. Jimmy Dykes was correct when he said that Mizzou plays much better offensively against zone than it does against man, which is kind of counterintuitive since this team is so bad at shooting. But I think that had much less to do with the Rebels’ defensive scheme than it did Missouri attacking the basket. It seems so maddeningly simple: when this team doesn’t settle for threes, its offense is so, so much better. Missouri only shot four times from behind the arc in that first half. It shot 23 two-pointers. It made 13 of them. Keep doing that. Amari Davis and Javon Pickett have been the most effective attackers. Davis looks like the player he was billed to be, shooting 5-5 from the field, all from inside the arc.
* One of the most remarkable things about that first half was that Mizzou didn’t need Kobe Brown to do all the scoring. Brown only has five points. But the fact that he was able to avoid foul trouble was huge. There were several times where it was apparent that the defensive attention Ole Miss had to pay to him opened up shots for his teammates.
* Actually better than the Missouri offense was its defense and rebounding. Ole Miss is shooting just 8-31 from the floor. The Rebels made just one of their last 13 shots. Missouri is doing a great job of staying in front of the Ole Miss guards in the halfcourt and contesting everything. The Tigers have three blocks and have altered a number of other shots. And they haven’t allowed Ole Miss to grab many of its own misses. Mizzou is dominating on the glass, 22-14, and has out-scored Ole Miss 8-4 in second-chance points despite the Rebels having a lot more chances at offensive rebounds.
* Speaking of blocks, Trevon Brazile has a chance to be special. He’s shown an uncanny ability to be in the right place on both the offensive and defensive ends. It’s easy to forget this is like his 10th college game ever. And his length and bounce are things Mizzou simply doesn’t have elsewhere on the roster. If he can also knock down a few jumpers like he has so far tonight, his ceiling is extremely high.
* The number one priority in the second half needs to be taking care of the ball. That was the one area in which Missouri struggled in the first half, turning it over nine times. The easiest way for Ole Miss to get back into this game would be by generating scoring opportunities and momentum through turnovers. Avoid that, keep doing what it’s doing elsewhere offensively, and Mizzou just might win a game on the road.
