-Nick Honor and Tre Gomillion didn't have the most impressive stat lines but man were they important. It shows in their plus/minus numbers. When Kentucky went on their mini-run and cut the lead to single digits, Honor and Gomillion were on the bench. Dennis Gates sent them in to put a stop to it, and they did.
-Another bonkers night from Kobe Brown. Mizzou might not lose again if he keeps going off for 25+ a night. He did it with Oscar Tshiebwe guarding him, too. I pointed this out after the Illinois game, but he's shooting over 40% this season from 3. He didn't shoot above 30% at any point before this year. He's already made more 3s this season than he did all of last season. It's made all the difference in the world. Opponents HAVE to respect him from outside, and he's quicker than just about any big he's going to get matched up against. That's a player that's a nightmare for defenses.
-More importantly, when Kobe plays up to his potential, everything falls into place so effortlessly. Everyone knows what their role is and if they aren't asked to do more than that, it's tough to lose. Kobe getting into foul trouble or struggling to find his place forces others' roles to expand.
-For instance, DeAndre Gholston quietly had a pretty nice second half. During that little slouch in the offense, he was the one that helped the build the momentum back up by getting to the free throw line. He bailed them out with a buzzer-beating 3 that put the game away. That's all you really need from the role players on this team. Sean East did it in the first half.
-Whatever you thought the ceiling was for this team, it's been raised. Expect a number next to Missouri's name in the polls next week. Y'all go @ Jeff Goodman on Twitter.
-Another bonkers night from Kobe Brown. Mizzou might not lose again if he keeps going off for 25+ a night. He did it with Oscar Tshiebwe guarding him, too. I pointed this out after the Illinois game, but he's shooting over 40% this season from 3. He didn't shoot above 30% at any point before this year. He's already made more 3s this season than he did all of last season. It's made all the difference in the world. Opponents HAVE to respect him from outside, and he's quicker than just about any big he's going to get matched up against. That's a player that's a nightmare for defenses.
-More importantly, when Kobe plays up to his potential, everything falls into place so effortlessly. Everyone knows what their role is and if they aren't asked to do more than that, it's tough to lose. Kobe getting into foul trouble or struggling to find his place forces others' roles to expand.
-For instance, DeAndre Gholston quietly had a pretty nice second half. During that little slouch in the offense, he was the one that helped the build the momentum back up by getting to the free throw line. He bailed them out with a buzzer-beating 3 that put the game away. That's all you really need from the role players on this team. Sean East did it in the first half.
-Whatever you thought the ceiling was for this team, it's been raised. Expect a number next to Missouri's name in the polls next week. Y'all go @ Jeff Goodman on Twitter.
