Let me start with this: This is not a perfect team. There are flaws. It isn't always pretty. But they are 8-2 and will be ranked in the top 15 in the country Monday and rather than worry about next year or point out what they don't do well or what could spell doom in the NCAA Tournament, I think it's at least worth starting for an appreciation that we should have a full season of meaningful basketball games for only the second time in seven years. That's a good thing.
*Repeat after me: I will not fall into the trap of believing Jeremiah Tilmon has everything figured out. We’ve all done that before only to be disappointed. But still, this is three straight strong games for Missouri’s big man and most important player. He is averaging 18.3 and 9 rebounds in that time. He has AVERAGED 29.7 minutes over the last three and only been in anything approaching foul trouble once. He’s taking what comes to him, he’s playing under control, he’s even become a much better passer. He’s been the steadiest Tiger so far this season. 14 points and 10 boards don’t really tell the story of how dominant he was. I thought he controlled this game for most of the time he was on the floor (he was +23 in 33 minutes). He kept Missouri in it early until some help finally showed up in the second half.
*Javon Pickett earned more minutes. He helped keep Mizzou afloat in the first half with eight points, including five in a 10-0 run to turn a deficit into a lead at the break. He ended the game with 12 points. When he plays well, Mizzou usually plays well. When he scores 10 or more they’re 10-1. You don’t have to start him if you don’t want to and I think you have to manage those minutes because if you play him 27 minutes every night the flaws are going to be exposed, but I do think he has earned more minutes.
*Dru Smith has been struggling. Today he had 15 points, 6 boards, 6 assists and 4 steals. It was the type of game that led people to start saying things like Dru was as good as any guard in the SEC. During the course of the game, I wasn’t sitting there thinking he was dominant. But then you look up at the end and he’s just filling up every column of the stat sheet. If Missouri can get that Dru Smith and that Jeremiah Tilmon, and anything at all from anyone else, it can win a lot of games.
*The issue in this one, when it wasn’t going well, was the turnovers. Mizzou had 10 in the first half and turned the ball over on approximately 30% of its possessions in the first half. When they got a shot off, they hit 44% and out rebounded A&M and did enough to win. They just didn’t get enough shots off. In the second half, Mizzou cut the turnovers down to four (12.1%), shot 53.3% and the offense suddenly looked a lot better. No, they’re not a great shooting team, but the bigger issue is when they fail to get shots off entirely. In the first half, Mizzou averaged. 844 points per possession and scored on 37.5% of its possessions. In the second half, the Tigers jumped to 1.2 points per possession and scored on 57% of their possessions.
Mizzou had 27 points at halftime. They scored 27 points in the first 13 minutes of the second half. Is some of that getting better shots? Yes. It’s also getting more shots. I don’t really think it’s about having no offensive plan or making any major changes. I think it’s mostly about playing better and kicking the ball around the gym less.
*This was almost the reverse of the Mississippi State game. Mizzou trailed by seven late in the first half. Then the Tigers decided to play and outscored the Aggies 35-10 over the next 13:08. We tend to bury the team we follow when they’re on one end of that and not give them enough credit when they’re on the good end of it. It’s college sports. It happens a lot more than we realize, which is why words like “inexcusable” and “should never happen” get overused.
*It was interesting that Mizzou’s big run came largely without Mark Smith or Xavier Pinson. Of the first 14 minutes of the second half (when Mizzou turned this from a three-point game to an 18-point game), Smith played three minutes and Pinson played seven. Pinson played 19 minutes overall…and Mizzou was outscored by eight points with him in the game. He and Mitchell Smith were the only two players with a negative plus/minus. Will be interesting to monitor what happens with the minutes going forward. Cuonzo Martin deserves credit for this. You play the right guys on the right night. It isn't always going to be the same guys. There will be games that Pinson and Mitchell and Mark Smith help win. This one they were better off with Pickett and Drew Buggs (+18 in 19 minutes). The coach should probably be praised for recognizing that.
*This was a game Missouri really needed to win. First, because A&M just isn’t that good. Second, to bounce back after the MSU loss and off the break. But more important than either of those, in my opinion, because of the schedule. After Tuesday’s game against South Carolina (another one they better win), Mizzou has this seven game stretch: at Tennessee, at Auburn, vs TCU, vs Kentucky, vs Alabama, at Ole Miss, vs Arkansas. Every one is a losable game. They won’t lose them all, but you could see 3-4 or 4-3 pretty easily. That means you can’t go stubbing your toe ver many other places. Getting this one (and Tuesday’s) is necessary to have a slight cushion when you start the toughest quarter of the season.
*Repeat after me: I will not fall into the trap of believing Jeremiah Tilmon has everything figured out. We’ve all done that before only to be disappointed. But still, this is three straight strong games for Missouri’s big man and most important player. He is averaging 18.3 and 9 rebounds in that time. He has AVERAGED 29.7 minutes over the last three and only been in anything approaching foul trouble once. He’s taking what comes to him, he’s playing under control, he’s even become a much better passer. He’s been the steadiest Tiger so far this season. 14 points and 10 boards don’t really tell the story of how dominant he was. I thought he controlled this game for most of the time he was on the floor (he was +23 in 33 minutes). He kept Missouri in it early until some help finally showed up in the second half.
*Javon Pickett earned more minutes. He helped keep Mizzou afloat in the first half with eight points, including five in a 10-0 run to turn a deficit into a lead at the break. He ended the game with 12 points. When he plays well, Mizzou usually plays well. When he scores 10 or more they’re 10-1. You don’t have to start him if you don’t want to and I think you have to manage those minutes because if you play him 27 minutes every night the flaws are going to be exposed, but I do think he has earned more minutes.
*Dru Smith has been struggling. Today he had 15 points, 6 boards, 6 assists and 4 steals. It was the type of game that led people to start saying things like Dru was as good as any guard in the SEC. During the course of the game, I wasn’t sitting there thinking he was dominant. But then you look up at the end and he’s just filling up every column of the stat sheet. If Missouri can get that Dru Smith and that Jeremiah Tilmon, and anything at all from anyone else, it can win a lot of games.
*The issue in this one, when it wasn’t going well, was the turnovers. Mizzou had 10 in the first half and turned the ball over on approximately 30% of its possessions in the first half. When they got a shot off, they hit 44% and out rebounded A&M and did enough to win. They just didn’t get enough shots off. In the second half, Mizzou cut the turnovers down to four (12.1%), shot 53.3% and the offense suddenly looked a lot better. No, they’re not a great shooting team, but the bigger issue is when they fail to get shots off entirely. In the first half, Mizzou averaged. 844 points per possession and scored on 37.5% of its possessions. In the second half, the Tigers jumped to 1.2 points per possession and scored on 57% of their possessions.
Mizzou had 27 points at halftime. They scored 27 points in the first 13 minutes of the second half. Is some of that getting better shots? Yes. It’s also getting more shots. I don’t really think it’s about having no offensive plan or making any major changes. I think it’s mostly about playing better and kicking the ball around the gym less.
*This was almost the reverse of the Mississippi State game. Mizzou trailed by seven late in the first half. Then the Tigers decided to play and outscored the Aggies 35-10 over the next 13:08. We tend to bury the team we follow when they’re on one end of that and not give them enough credit when they’re on the good end of it. It’s college sports. It happens a lot more than we realize, which is why words like “inexcusable” and “should never happen” get overused.
*It was interesting that Mizzou’s big run came largely without Mark Smith or Xavier Pinson. Of the first 14 minutes of the second half (when Mizzou turned this from a three-point game to an 18-point game), Smith played three minutes and Pinson played seven. Pinson played 19 minutes overall…and Mizzou was outscored by eight points with him in the game. He and Mitchell Smith were the only two players with a negative plus/minus. Will be interesting to monitor what happens with the minutes going forward. Cuonzo Martin deserves credit for this. You play the right guys on the right night. It isn't always going to be the same guys. There will be games that Pinson and Mitchell and Mark Smith help win. This one they were better off with Pickett and Drew Buggs (+18 in 19 minutes). The coach should probably be praised for recognizing that.
*This was a game Missouri really needed to win. First, because A&M just isn’t that good. Second, to bounce back after the MSU loss and off the break. But more important than either of those, in my opinion, because of the schedule. After Tuesday’s game against South Carolina (another one they better win), Mizzou has this seven game stretch: at Tennessee, at Auburn, vs TCU, vs Kentucky, vs Alabama, at Ole Miss, vs Arkansas. Every one is a losable game. They won’t lose them all, but you could see 3-4 or 4-3 pretty easily. That means you can’t go stubbing your toe ver many other places. Getting this one (and Tuesday’s) is necessary to have a slight cushion when you start the toughest quarter of the season.
