Well, it's over. And mercifully so.
Really, it couldn't have ended in a more fitting way. There was a really bad start. Then there was a bit of a comeback with moments that offered just enough signs of hope and positivity that you thought maybe there was a chance. It was 52-50 with 8:48 to go. Missouri was then outscored 12-1 and made nary a field goal for the next eight minutes and 40 seconds. I believe it was the third stretch of at least four minutes without a bucket during the game which, when you think about it, consists of at least 17 minutes and makes it somewhat of a minor miracle that they managed to score 54 anyway.
Oh, by the way, in that stretch where Missouri was busy scoring one point, they also allowed South Carolina to score on five of six possessions. Just making sure the defense doesn't skate by without accountability.
Individually, Teki Gill-Caesar scored ten points, but negated much of that contribution with five turnovers, at least a couple of the unforced, nearly inexplicable variety. Ryan Rosburg had nine points (but will continue to be singled out as the apparent reason this team isn't any good). J3 had nine points, but made only 2 of 10 shots on the way there (and only 4-8 free throws).
There was nothing surprising about this game, other than maybe that Missouri was able to stay so close for so long despite long stretches of offensive ineptitude. It was pretty much the game I predicted (the margin increased a little more than I thought at the end) and pretty much the game we've seen all year.
There really isn't much to say, but I thought I'd get some quick thoughts up there. Tomorrow, I will put together a post-season thought book. Basically, why they ended up where they did and where things go from here. It was painful, but really, one or two more wins wasn't going to change that. This season has needed to end for quite a while. Wednesday night, it did.
Really, it couldn't have ended in a more fitting way. There was a really bad start. Then there was a bit of a comeback with moments that offered just enough signs of hope and positivity that you thought maybe there was a chance. It was 52-50 with 8:48 to go. Missouri was then outscored 12-1 and made nary a field goal for the next eight minutes and 40 seconds. I believe it was the third stretch of at least four minutes without a bucket during the game which, when you think about it, consists of at least 17 minutes and makes it somewhat of a minor miracle that they managed to score 54 anyway.
Oh, by the way, in that stretch where Missouri was busy scoring one point, they also allowed South Carolina to score on five of six possessions. Just making sure the defense doesn't skate by without accountability.
Individually, Teki Gill-Caesar scored ten points, but negated much of that contribution with five turnovers, at least a couple of the unforced, nearly inexplicable variety. Ryan Rosburg had nine points (but will continue to be singled out as the apparent reason this team isn't any good). J3 had nine points, but made only 2 of 10 shots on the way there (and only 4-8 free throws).
There was nothing surprising about this game, other than maybe that Missouri was able to stay so close for so long despite long stretches of offensive ineptitude. It was pretty much the game I predicted (the margin increased a little more than I thought at the end) and pretty much the game we've seen all year.
There really isn't much to say, but I thought I'd get some quick thoughts up there. Tomorrow, I will put together a post-season thought book. Basically, why they ended up where they did and where things go from here. It was painful, but really, one or two more wins wasn't going to change that. This season has needed to end for quite a while. Wednesday night, it did.
