From the jump, this looked like the worst matchup in the league for Missouri. Everything Auburn is good at is everything Missouri is not good at.
The entire first half felt like Missouri was just hanging by a thread. Auburn played very poorly, shot a little below 25% from three point range and still led by three. A "C" game from Auburn was going to win it.
They did not play a C game in the second half. Everything that didn't go in in the first 20 minutes went in in the second half. Some of them were wide open. I'm sure Cuonzo Martin will not be complimentary of the defense. But they still deserve credit for making them. Auburn scored 34 points in the first half. It had 35 in the first 12:30 of the second half. They were 10-19 from three-point range after halftime. Eight Auburn players hit a three. Auburn scored 58 points in the second half. Missouri scored 58 points in the game.
It's also pretty stunning how quickly this team can turn a big lead into a close game or a close game into a blowout. I mean when things go south on this team, they go WAY south. And they go there FAST.
Can sum this game up in one quick comparision:
Auburn: 20 assists, 9 turnovers
Mizzou: 7 assists, 20 turnovers
There you have it.
This team is just amazingly limited. Right now, there are five guys Cuonzo Martin can play: Xavier Pinson, Jordan Geist, Jeremiah Tilmon, Torrence Watson and a banged up Javon Pickett. It will be six whenever Mark Smith comes back. I'll give him a half a guy for Reed Nikko who can usually give you a few decent minutes in the first half.
The combined line for Mitchell Smith, Kevin Puryear and KJ Santos: 2 points (1/7 shooting), 7 rebounds, 5 fouls, 2 turnovers in 35 minutes.
You aren't winning games that way.
Speaking of Santos, we went through a brief stretch where he started to see more minutes. Looks like that's over with. He played six tonight. And it seemed like less.
I liked what I saw out of Torrence Watson. Jeremiah Tilmon stayed on the floor and at times looked really good. Other than that? No new injuries.
I told someone this morning I thought Auburn would win by 20. They only had to play a half to do so. I understand that people will probably be frustrated, but I would recommend not spending much time getting angry about it. This team just doesn't have much.
The entire first half felt like Missouri was just hanging by a thread. Auburn played very poorly, shot a little below 25% from three point range and still led by three. A "C" game from Auburn was going to win it.
They did not play a C game in the second half. Everything that didn't go in in the first 20 minutes went in in the second half. Some of them were wide open. I'm sure Cuonzo Martin will not be complimentary of the defense. But they still deserve credit for making them. Auburn scored 34 points in the first half. It had 35 in the first 12:30 of the second half. They were 10-19 from three-point range after halftime. Eight Auburn players hit a three. Auburn scored 58 points in the second half. Missouri scored 58 points in the game.
It's also pretty stunning how quickly this team can turn a big lead into a close game or a close game into a blowout. I mean when things go south on this team, they go WAY south. And they go there FAST.
Can sum this game up in one quick comparision:
Auburn: 20 assists, 9 turnovers
Mizzou: 7 assists, 20 turnovers
There you have it.
This team is just amazingly limited. Right now, there are five guys Cuonzo Martin can play: Xavier Pinson, Jordan Geist, Jeremiah Tilmon, Torrence Watson and a banged up Javon Pickett. It will be six whenever Mark Smith comes back. I'll give him a half a guy for Reed Nikko who can usually give you a few decent minutes in the first half.
The combined line for Mitchell Smith, Kevin Puryear and KJ Santos: 2 points (1/7 shooting), 7 rebounds, 5 fouls, 2 turnovers in 35 minutes.
You aren't winning games that way.
Speaking of Santos, we went through a brief stretch where he started to see more minutes. Looks like that's over with. He played six tonight. And it seemed like less.
I liked what I saw out of Torrence Watson. Jeremiah Tilmon stayed on the floor and at times looked really good. Other than that? No new injuries.
I told someone this morning I thought Auburn would win by 20. They only had to play a half to do so. I understand that people will probably be frustrated, but I would recommend not spending much time getting angry about it. This team just doesn't have much.
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