* For about 15 minutes, Missouri played pretty well. But you can just about always count on the Tigers to have a four-plus minute scoring drought at some point during a game. This time, it was 5:26. During that span, Tennessee went on a 13-0 run. It’s hard to overcome that when you’re playing against a good team.
* The biggest issue for Mizzou has been its inability to stay in front of Tennessee’s guards. Kennedy Chandler is getting whatever he wants. He and Zakai Zeigler have combined for 20 of the Vols’ 36 points. Each also has two assists. It’s worth noting that those are two very good guards who have given a lot of opponents fits, but Missouri needs to find a way to bother them.
* On the offensive end, the main problem has been turnovers. That’s no surprise. Tennessee is one of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers and Mizzou is one of the worst at taking care of the ball. Mizzou has turned the ball over eight times so far. I also would like to see fewer three-pointers. Most of them have been open looks, as Tennessee has (wisely) been content to let Mizzou try to beat them from the perimeter. But even if they’re open shots, 14 threes in a half is too many for this team.
* Kobe Brown got to play with two fouls! And not just a little bit, like the other night, but for several minutes. He rewarded the coaching staff by not picking up another foul. I truly don’t know why it took this long in the season to realize he’s too important to sit for long periods, regardless of the foul situation. He only has six points right now, but he’s plus-three in the plus/minus. No other Missouri player is better than minus-five.
* The biggest issue for Mizzou has been its inability to stay in front of Tennessee’s guards. Kennedy Chandler is getting whatever he wants. He and Zakai Zeigler have combined for 20 of the Vols’ 36 points. Each also has two assists. It’s worth noting that those are two very good guards who have given a lot of opponents fits, but Missouri needs to find a way to bother them.
* On the offensive end, the main problem has been turnovers. That’s no surprise. Tennessee is one of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers and Mizzou is one of the worst at taking care of the ball. Mizzou has turned the ball over eight times so far. I also would like to see fewer three-pointers. Most of them have been open looks, as Tennessee has (wisely) been content to let Mizzou try to beat them from the perimeter. But even if they’re open shots, 14 threes in a half is too many for this team.
* Kobe Brown got to play with two fouls! And not just a little bit, like the other night, but for several minutes. He rewarded the coaching staff by not picking up another foul. I truly don’t know why it took this long in the season to realize he’s too important to sit for long periods, regardless of the foul situation. He only has six points right now, but he’s plus-three in the plus/minus. No other Missouri player is better than minus-five.
