@drewking0222 is on the ground and will have full postgame coverage for you guys from Oxford. While he does interviews, here are my thoughts on this one:
*We spend so much time breaking these games down and it’s really as simple as this: Shoot 32% from the floor and 10% from three (that’s what Mizzou did on Saturday) you’re not beating anybody. Shoot 55.4% from the floor and 53% from three (like Mizzou did tonight) and you’re beating virtually everybody. The shots went in. We’re going to get into it deeper and obviously it’s a little more complicated than that. But not a lot.
*There are a lot of things to like about this game and I’ll get to those. But let’s talk about two things not to love. Because this game was still in doubt with three minutes left despite the fact Mizzou was shooting 53% from the floor and had made 16 threes:
*Defense. Look, when it seems like everyone is shooting lights out against you, that’s a you thing. Missouri is so aggressive chasing the ball there are a lot of times they simply can’t recover and get to shooters. At times it appears to me Missouri is just content that if you can make a 21 footer, so be it. The bad news is, a lot of guys can make a 21 footer. They play a gambling defense. Sometimes it works incredibly well. When the other team takes care of the ball it leads to a whole lot of wide open jump shots. There was a graphic the other day that showed Missouri is the streakiest team in the country (judging by 10-0 or better runs both for and against). The defense is a part of that. They’re never out of a game, but neither is the other team. For the record, Ole Miss was 9-27 from three tonight. It sure seemed like it was a lot better.
*Rebounding. I get that they’re not big. But that doesn’t explain it. I don’t really know how to explain it. But they are terrible at rebounding. I’d have to go back and watch a bunch of film to know if it’s boxouts, positioning, effort or what. But it’s not simply height. Yes, that’s a factor. There’s no way that’s all of it. Ole Miss had 16 offensive rebounds for 18 second chance points. That's why this was a game for as long as it was.
*Okay, now for the good. Mo Diarra and Isiaih Mosley were, for different reasons, non-factors for the first two months of the season. Now they’re legit difference makers. A lot of people knew Mosley had this in him. I’m not sure any of us knew Diarra did. Both situations speak to coaching. That’s impressive. Bringing guys along at the pace YOU think they should go, not the pace WE think they should go. And it appears to have worked pretty well in both cases. Related, I would like to apologize for believing at one time that this team might not need Isiaih Mosley because it was already good on offense. You were right, I was wrong. You are smart, I am stupid. You are good-looking, I am unattractive.
*I will not bury anyone on this roster, because of that paragraph I just typed. Noah Carter is slumping right now. But there will be a time he’ll help for sure. DeAndre Gholston had a really bad night tonight, but Dennis Gates recognized it and sat him in the second half. Aidan Shaw is seeing his playing time dip mostly because right now he's an offensive liability. I know he made a couple of threes against Alabama and that's good. But he's limited on that end. The point is, this is not a perfect team. There are flaws. There are guys you watch and think they can’t see the floor, but the next time out, they might be the reason Missouri wins a game. Again, that’s coaching. Gates is even-keeled. He isn’t overreacting to every single development the way we are. That pays off in the long run.
*Good to see D’Moi Hodge have the ball go in again. He had made four of his previous 25 threes. He made five tonight alone. More than any single factor, I think his shooting ignites this team.
*You saw tonight why Kobe Brown didn’t play Saturday. You don’t risk his health when he’s at less than 100% in a game that was always going to be very tough to win. You save him for a game (or stretch of games) you’re much more likely to need him. I have no inside info here, but my guess is if he’d really had to, Kobe could have played Saturday. But Gates made the right call long term for the team.
*Hodge, Mosley and Brown combined to score 62 points on 40 field goal attempts. That's insane.
*I think Missouri’s best five is Mosley, Diarra, Nick Honor, Kobe and Hodge. I think that’s the lineup you’ll see on the floor in crunch time more often than not. Not all the time. There will be some nights there’s a different hot hand or a matchup that dictates something different. But right now, I think that’s the best five Gates can put on the floor.
*This was one Missouri needed to win. The path to the tournament involves two or three road wins in the league. They got one. Now you’re home for Iowa State in a game that would be a monstrous home win (the Cyclones are top ten in the country). Losing that game doesn’t kill you. There’s more upside than downside. Then you get LSU at home and those Tigers are pretty terrible. And you go to Mississippi State and that’s winnable. Then you get South Carolina at home and they're awful too. Two weeks from now, I think there’s a decent chance we’re talking about Mizzou on the verge of lock status.
*We spend so much time breaking these games down and it’s really as simple as this: Shoot 32% from the floor and 10% from three (that’s what Mizzou did on Saturday) you’re not beating anybody. Shoot 55.4% from the floor and 53% from three (like Mizzou did tonight) and you’re beating virtually everybody. The shots went in. We’re going to get into it deeper and obviously it’s a little more complicated than that. But not a lot.
*There are a lot of things to like about this game and I’ll get to those. But let’s talk about two things not to love. Because this game was still in doubt with three minutes left despite the fact Mizzou was shooting 53% from the floor and had made 16 threes:
*Defense. Look, when it seems like everyone is shooting lights out against you, that’s a you thing. Missouri is so aggressive chasing the ball there are a lot of times they simply can’t recover and get to shooters. At times it appears to me Missouri is just content that if you can make a 21 footer, so be it. The bad news is, a lot of guys can make a 21 footer. They play a gambling defense. Sometimes it works incredibly well. When the other team takes care of the ball it leads to a whole lot of wide open jump shots. There was a graphic the other day that showed Missouri is the streakiest team in the country (judging by 10-0 or better runs both for and against). The defense is a part of that. They’re never out of a game, but neither is the other team. For the record, Ole Miss was 9-27 from three tonight. It sure seemed like it was a lot better.
*Rebounding. I get that they’re not big. But that doesn’t explain it. I don’t really know how to explain it. But they are terrible at rebounding. I’d have to go back and watch a bunch of film to know if it’s boxouts, positioning, effort or what. But it’s not simply height. Yes, that’s a factor. There’s no way that’s all of it. Ole Miss had 16 offensive rebounds for 18 second chance points. That's why this was a game for as long as it was.
*Okay, now for the good. Mo Diarra and Isiaih Mosley were, for different reasons, non-factors for the first two months of the season. Now they’re legit difference makers. A lot of people knew Mosley had this in him. I’m not sure any of us knew Diarra did. Both situations speak to coaching. That’s impressive. Bringing guys along at the pace YOU think they should go, not the pace WE think they should go. And it appears to have worked pretty well in both cases. Related, I would like to apologize for believing at one time that this team might not need Isiaih Mosley because it was already good on offense. You were right, I was wrong. You are smart, I am stupid. You are good-looking, I am unattractive.
*I will not bury anyone on this roster, because of that paragraph I just typed. Noah Carter is slumping right now. But there will be a time he’ll help for sure. DeAndre Gholston had a really bad night tonight, but Dennis Gates recognized it and sat him in the second half. Aidan Shaw is seeing his playing time dip mostly because right now he's an offensive liability. I know he made a couple of threes against Alabama and that's good. But he's limited on that end. The point is, this is not a perfect team. There are flaws. There are guys you watch and think they can’t see the floor, but the next time out, they might be the reason Missouri wins a game. Again, that’s coaching. Gates is even-keeled. He isn’t overreacting to every single development the way we are. That pays off in the long run.
*Good to see D’Moi Hodge have the ball go in again. He had made four of his previous 25 threes. He made five tonight alone. More than any single factor, I think his shooting ignites this team.
*You saw tonight why Kobe Brown didn’t play Saturday. You don’t risk his health when he’s at less than 100% in a game that was always going to be very tough to win. You save him for a game (or stretch of games) you’re much more likely to need him. I have no inside info here, but my guess is if he’d really had to, Kobe could have played Saturday. But Gates made the right call long term for the team.
*Hodge, Mosley and Brown combined to score 62 points on 40 field goal attempts. That's insane.
*I think Missouri’s best five is Mosley, Diarra, Nick Honor, Kobe and Hodge. I think that’s the lineup you’ll see on the floor in crunch time more often than not. Not all the time. There will be some nights there’s a different hot hand or a matchup that dictates something different. But right now, I think that’s the best five Gates can put on the floor.
*This was one Missouri needed to win. The path to the tournament involves two or three road wins in the league. They got one. Now you’re home for Iowa State in a game that would be a monstrous home win (the Cyclones are top ten in the country). Losing that game doesn’t kill you. There’s more upside than downside. Then you get LSU at home and those Tigers are pretty terrible. And you go to Mississippi State and that’s winnable. Then you get South Carolina at home and they're awful too. Two weeks from now, I think there’s a decent chance we’re talking about Mizzou on the verge of lock status.
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