1. You could make a decent argument that this is Cuonzo's most impressive win at Mizzou. It wasn't the best opponent they've beaten (UK/ut 2018), it wasn't the biggest margin of victory, it wasn't the most important (Bama/Arkansas 2018). But in terms of opponent quality (uf checked in at #23 in pomeroy), margin of victory (63-62 KP number, +2.5 spread), and coming out of fvcking nowhere, this may take the cake.
2. As for Florida. Quality team. Struggled at the start, found their wind a bit with wins over Xavier, Providence and Bama and are likely a top 4 team in league. I think we caught them flatfooted. They came out cold, got punched in the jaw and never regained their footing. Pretty young and quite talented, that'll happen.
3. For those praising the pace...it wasn't a torrid affair. By my calculations, there were 70 possessions. Both uf and mizzou average a hair under 67. Our last two sec games finished at 66. So...a bit quicker, but not markedly so. Some of that came on the defensive end, the game certainly slowed late, but still. It was an under control pace. Yes, we converted some easy looks and pushed to get them. That's a plus. It's a happy medium that this team can balance.
4. So why the 91 points? Well, feast:
2 pt: 20-33 (62%)
3 pt: 12-19 (63%)
FT: 15-20 (75%)
eFG: 73.1%
I had a high school coach...a bit of a redneck, but a good guy and a great coach. He would often say with a thick southern Mo drawl..."make shots, wiyun games." There's a lot that goes into that, but ultimately it's a universal law. A country prophecy. Mizzou did that, and it was a sight for sore eyes. They also protected it pretty well with only 11 to's.
5. On defense, Mizzou played a B to B+ game. Gators hit 10-22 from 3 (46%), but only 10-31 from 2, two of which were largely uncontested at the end. That will play. Tigers won the TO battle 13-11. So that's a real plus. So why the downgrade?
A. 20-8 on the offensive glass. Probably not as bad as it looks as mizzou simply didn't give itself many opps on offense, and at least 5 came on one sequence with poor Parker. But still, too high.
B. And the recurring theme, fouls. Here are mizzou's last 4 p5 opponents ft numbers...
UF: 25-32
UT: 12-17
UK: 27-30
UI: 18-23
You can't control an opponent hitting 82-102 (80.4%), which is a solid 10% over national average. What you can control* is not putting teams on the line 25 times a game. That's a concern.
6. *That said, the officiating was poor. Mizzou was as aggressive as UF on offense (see 2 pt attempts) and played less pressure defense. Yet were whistled for 27 fouls to 18 on the gators. I feel that the zebras scouting report results in perceived calls that aren't always there. Whatever the reason, the only way this was under 25 points was the three whistles. To Mizzou's credit, they caused it to be irrelevant.
7. Dru got coach's message about being assertive. 22 points on 8-12 shooting (4-4 at the line), 3 boards, 5 helpers and 5 thefts. He was a stud tonight. He was not against UT. As he goes, the team follows. I want to see more.
8. Okongo may never score. But as I mentioned in the game thread, he can be useful. He'll have to be now. He looked clean on his screens and especially on his defensive screen assignments. He moves pretty well. Good for him.
9. There were a couple of moments when uf threatened. Late in the first uf cut it to 11 and dru and Mark hit consecutive 3's. Several times Mitch knocked some big shots down. Impressive answers.
10. What's it mean? Who the hell knows. Is it an outlier? Probably to some extent. Is it a confidence builder? I hope so. Will it spur a run? ????
I will say, Mizzou's 3 pt shooting has evened out...
Over their last 7 they're shooting 64-159 (40.3%). They're 5-2 in those games and if not for a subpar defensive effort might be 6-1.
The season is not saved. Questions aren't answered. But for a night, Mizzou looked like an offensive threat. Their adjusted offensive efficiency jumped from 129th to 80th.
Tough week on deck, but not impossible. Who knows?
Late add:
2. As for Florida. Quality team. Struggled at the start, found their wind a bit with wins over Xavier, Providence and Bama and are likely a top 4 team in league. I think we caught them flatfooted. They came out cold, got punched in the jaw and never regained their footing. Pretty young and quite talented, that'll happen.
3. For those praising the pace...it wasn't a torrid affair. By my calculations, there were 70 possessions. Both uf and mizzou average a hair under 67. Our last two sec games finished at 66. So...a bit quicker, but not markedly so. Some of that came on the defensive end, the game certainly slowed late, but still. It was an under control pace. Yes, we converted some easy looks and pushed to get them. That's a plus. It's a happy medium that this team can balance.
4. So why the 91 points? Well, feast:
2 pt: 20-33 (62%)
3 pt: 12-19 (63%)
FT: 15-20 (75%)
eFG: 73.1%
I had a high school coach...a bit of a redneck, but a good guy and a great coach. He would often say with a thick southern Mo drawl..."make shots, wiyun games." There's a lot that goes into that, but ultimately it's a universal law. A country prophecy. Mizzou did that, and it was a sight for sore eyes. They also protected it pretty well with only 11 to's.
5. On defense, Mizzou played a B to B+ game. Gators hit 10-22 from 3 (46%), but only 10-31 from 2, two of which were largely uncontested at the end. That will play. Tigers won the TO battle 13-11. So that's a real plus. So why the downgrade?
A. 20-8 on the offensive glass. Probably not as bad as it looks as mizzou simply didn't give itself many opps on offense, and at least 5 came on one sequence with poor Parker. But still, too high.
B. And the recurring theme, fouls. Here are mizzou's last 4 p5 opponents ft numbers...
UF: 25-32
UT: 12-17
UK: 27-30
UI: 18-23
You can't control an opponent hitting 82-102 (80.4%), which is a solid 10% over national average. What you can control* is not putting teams on the line 25 times a game. That's a concern.
6. *That said, the officiating was poor. Mizzou was as aggressive as UF on offense (see 2 pt attempts) and played less pressure defense. Yet were whistled for 27 fouls to 18 on the gators. I feel that the zebras scouting report results in perceived calls that aren't always there. Whatever the reason, the only way this was under 25 points was the three whistles. To Mizzou's credit, they caused it to be irrelevant.
7. Dru got coach's message about being assertive. 22 points on 8-12 shooting (4-4 at the line), 3 boards, 5 helpers and 5 thefts. He was a stud tonight. He was not against UT. As he goes, the team follows. I want to see more.
8. Okongo may never score. But as I mentioned in the game thread, he can be useful. He'll have to be now. He looked clean on his screens and especially on his defensive screen assignments. He moves pretty well. Good for him.
9. There were a couple of moments when uf threatened. Late in the first uf cut it to 11 and dru and Mark hit consecutive 3's. Several times Mitch knocked some big shots down. Impressive answers.
10. What's it mean? Who the hell knows. Is it an outlier? Probably to some extent. Is it a confidence builder? I hope so. Will it spur a run? ????
I will say, Mizzou's 3 pt shooting has evened out...
Over their last 7 they're shooting 64-159 (40.3%). They're 5-2 in those games and if not for a subpar defensive effort might be 6-1.
The season is not saved. Questions aren't answered. But for a night, Mizzou looked like an offensive threat. Their adjusted offensive efficiency jumped from 129th to 80th.
Tough week on deck, but not impossible. Who knows?
Late add:
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