That might have been the most impressive half of basketball I’ve seen Missouri play this season. That might come as a surprise — after all the No. 13 team in the country should be better than an unranked Mississippi State team — but I was worried about this matchup for Missouri’s offense. Mississippi State has been really good this season at guarding the two-point shot without fouling and Ben Howland’s team should have come in knowing an effective game plan against Mizzou since the Bulldogs swept the Tigers last season. Instead, Mizzou put up nearly 40 points, and they did it with just six free throws. Missouri moved the ball, it moved without the ball and it took advantage of run-out opportunities. All of that added up to a lot of easy shots. Mizzou is shooting 15-30 from the field. A third of those made field goals have been dunks. And perhaps most important, Mizzou took care of the ball. After turning the ball over 21 times in each of the past two games, the Tigers had just one turnover and 10 assists in that first half.
Jeremiah Tilmon carried over his strong performance against Arkansas to the next game, which is not something we’ve been able to say a lot about him during his Missouri career. He has eight and three. But I thought the MVP of that first half was Javon Pickett. He only played eight minutes, but he brought a spark off the bench, scoring seven quick points and giving Mizzou a lead it has only added to. That’s what you hope for from Pickett in this role. The Smith backcourt duo had a nice first half as well. Mark Smith got the game started by driving for a layup, and he did more than just shoot threes. He has seven points and two assists. Dru Smith has five points, two boards, a steal, no turnovers and no fouls.
If Mizzou is playing offense like that, the other team probably doesn’t have a great chance, unless it has an elite scorer, which Mississippi State does not. The Tiger defense was excellent as usual after the first four minutes. Mississippi State started the game 4-6 from the field and then went 5-20. The Bulldogs have turned the ball over eight times, which have led to 15 (!) points for Missouri. Honestly, given Missouri’s defensive prowess and the fact that Mississippi State is engineered to slow the game down, this is an excellent position for the Tigers to be in. The game isn’t over by any means, but if Mizzou comes out and controls the first eight or so minutes of the second half, it should be able to coast to a fairly stress-free win, which isn’t something that happens a lot on the road in conference play.
Jeremiah Tilmon carried over his strong performance against Arkansas to the next game, which is not something we’ve been able to say a lot about him during his Missouri career. He has eight and three. But I thought the MVP of that first half was Javon Pickett. He only played eight minutes, but he brought a spark off the bench, scoring seven quick points and giving Mizzou a lead it has only added to. That’s what you hope for from Pickett in this role. The Smith backcourt duo had a nice first half as well. Mark Smith got the game started by driving for a layup, and he did more than just shoot threes. He has seven points and two assists. Dru Smith has five points, two boards, a steal, no turnovers and no fouls.
If Mizzou is playing offense like that, the other team probably doesn’t have a great chance, unless it has an elite scorer, which Mississippi State does not. The Tiger defense was excellent as usual after the first four minutes. Mississippi State started the game 4-6 from the field and then went 5-20. The Bulldogs have turned the ball over eight times, which have led to 15 (!) points for Missouri. Honestly, given Missouri’s defensive prowess and the fact that Mississippi State is engineered to slow the game down, this is an excellent position for the Tigers to be in. The game isn’t over by any means, but if Mizzou comes out and controls the first eight or so minutes of the second half, it should be able to coast to a fairly stress-free win, which isn’t something that happens a lot on the road in conference play.
