There have been a lot of times this year I have watched Mizzou play and said "this is the worst college basketball game I've ever seen." Usually, I'm being hyperbolic. I kind of mean it today. In a very disappointing season, that was probably the worst half of basketball I've watched.
Mizzou is 5-21 from the field (23.8 percent). Thirteen of those shots have come from three-point range. Mizzou has made two of those. They've even missed a couple free throws. This offense is just so easy to stop right now. A&M is daring them to shoot and they just can't make shots. They've tried to get the ball inside a few times but it has usually ended in a turnover or blocked shot. To me, that's symptomatic of simply not having good enough athletes who can score through good defense. Xavier Pinson is the only one that's close (he has two of the five made field goals and an assist on a third) but he has also been a turnover machine.
Speaking of turnovers, the Tigers have committed 12 already. They were also whistled for 12 fouls. Cuonzo Martin was so disgruntled (at both the officials and, I'm sure, his team) that he got called for just the second technical foul of his Mizzou tenure. A&M is outscoring Missouri 13-0 in points off turnovers and has 11 second-chance points off 12 offensive rebounds.
The only reason this is even still competitive at all is that A&M hasn't been much better offensively. The Aggies are shooting 8-30 from the floor and 2-14 from three. They have 10 turnovers and 10 fouls of their own. Still, a seven-point deficit is a lot the way these two teams play. Mizzou will have to play a lot better to have any real hope of avoiding a season sweep. First to 45 wins.
Mizzou is 5-21 from the field (23.8 percent). Thirteen of those shots have come from three-point range. Mizzou has made two of those. They've even missed a couple free throws. This offense is just so easy to stop right now. A&M is daring them to shoot and they just can't make shots. They've tried to get the ball inside a few times but it has usually ended in a turnover or blocked shot. To me, that's symptomatic of simply not having good enough athletes who can score through good defense. Xavier Pinson is the only one that's close (he has two of the five made field goals and an assist on a third) but he has also been a turnover machine.
Speaking of turnovers, the Tigers have committed 12 already. They were also whistled for 12 fouls. Cuonzo Martin was so disgruntled (at both the officials and, I'm sure, his team) that he got called for just the second technical foul of his Mizzou tenure. A&M is outscoring Missouri 13-0 in points off turnovers and has 11 second-chance points off 12 offensive rebounds.
The only reason this is even still competitive at all is that A&M hasn't been much better offensively. The Aggies are shooting 8-30 from the floor and 2-14 from three. They have 10 turnovers and 10 fouls of their own. Still, a seven-point deficit is a lot the way these two teams play. Mizzou will have to play a lot better to have any real hope of avoiding a season sweep. First to 45 wins.
