My eyes hurt. I see why Cuonzo Martin spent all offseason saying he wants to play at as fast a pace as possible, because the halfcourt offense is not exactly where Missouri excels. It’s obviously very early in the season, but this team seems to have no idea what to do against a zone. The Tigers look out of sync on the offensive end. I’ve seen a lot of players motioning to teammates like they’re not in the right spot. And whenever Missouri does have a player try to drive, there’s very little movement without the ball, so if UMKC helps, there’s not an easy pass to be made. Shooting over the defense doesn’t appear to be a great option, either, as Missouri is 1-6 from behind the arc.
I think Mizzou needs to do one of two things, or a bit of both: Do a better job of creating opportunities in transition and attack the basket more from the perimeter. We saw Boogie Coleman do a little bit more of that at the end of the half. Give UMKC credit for getting back in transition and playing good defense around the rim, but Missouri should be able to dictate the pace against this team. That has not happened so far.
The defense was nothing special, either. UMKC got a few wide open looks from three and two open layups off back cuts. The Roos really could be leading by more, but they’ve missed some open shots. They’re shooting 12-32 overall and 3-6 from the free throw line.
Kobe Brown needs to stop picking up cheap fouls. He played just six minutes before exiting with two. Both were what you would call bad fouls, one being an illegal screen and the other a loose ball whistle. (The second one was kind of cheap, but still.) That being said, I don’t understand why Ronnie DeGray can play with two fouls but Brown can’t. He’s probably your most important player. Use him.
It appears Cuonzo Martin trusts Anton Brookshire most out of the true freshman. He played six minutes in that first half. But I think there’s a bit of a learning curve for Brookshire transitioning from Kickapoo to Mizzou. He looks like he’s pressing out there.
Overall, that was a brutal first half. You don’t need me to tell you that this would be a very, very bad loss. Let’s see if Mizzou snaps out of it.
I think Mizzou needs to do one of two things, or a bit of both: Do a better job of creating opportunities in transition and attack the basket more from the perimeter. We saw Boogie Coleman do a little bit more of that at the end of the half. Give UMKC credit for getting back in transition and playing good defense around the rim, but Missouri should be able to dictate the pace against this team. That has not happened so far.
The defense was nothing special, either. UMKC got a few wide open looks from three and two open layups off back cuts. The Roos really could be leading by more, but they’ve missed some open shots. They’re shooting 12-32 overall and 3-6 from the free throw line.
Kobe Brown needs to stop picking up cheap fouls. He played just six minutes before exiting with two. Both were what you would call bad fouls, one being an illegal screen and the other a loose ball whistle. (The second one was kind of cheap, but still.) That being said, I don’t understand why Ronnie DeGray can play with two fouls but Brown can’t. He’s probably your most important player. Use him.
It appears Cuonzo Martin trusts Anton Brookshire most out of the true freshman. He played six minutes in that first half. But I think there’s a bit of a learning curve for Brookshire transitioning from Kickapoo to Mizzou. He looks like he’s pressing out there.
Overall, that was a brutal first half. You don’t need me to tell you that this would be a very, very bad loss. Let’s see if Mizzou snaps out of it.
