With everything that happened yesterday, I just didn't have it in me to do any sort of a meaningful breakdown of yesterday's game. So I figured I'd offer up my thoughts here.
*I know it's one game. Everyone gets that. But it was a damn sight better than last year's first game. And Wofford, despite what it may have looked like last night, is a pretty solid team and a good program that's been to four NCAA Tournaments in the last six years.
*I really, really underestimated Kevin Puryear. I thought he'd be kind of a rebounder and defender, maybe a player that could develop over a couple years and the ceiling maybe by the time he was a senior was like a Nathan Buntin type season (which don't get me wrong, wouldn't be a bad thing at all, but Buntin was probably the 3rd/4th guy on the team IIRC). But Puryear has a pretty shot, he's athletic in the lane, he can handle it well enough to get some space now and again and as Kim Anderson said he's probably the best post player on the team.
*Namon Wright took two "No, no, no, Yes, yes, yes" threes last night. I forgot that one of the real bright spots from last year is what a good shooter he is.
*Fans are going to love Terrence Phillips. I think he's got a good game and he has a chance to be a damn good four year player, but even more than that, he's just so engaging and he's so active on social media. I want to be clear that in no way am I saying this class is going to be the English/Denmon class, but if it is, Terrence is the Kimmie of the group.
*Russell Woods can be a valuable piece. He's just incredibly active and while he's not big, he is long. I'll be interested to see what his role is going forward. I think the Tigers are probably best if he's a 5-10 minutes a half guy off the bench, kind of an instant energy, offense and rebounding type of guy.
*By far, bar none, the player I was most impressed with last night as far as what I expected, what Tramaine Isabell. Midway through last year, I thought the kid was gone. He didn't play more than a couple minutes in the first half of the exhibition game. And he was damn good last night. Good enough that I told the guys next to me on press row I think maybe he is a starter on this team. I can see Phillips and Isabell in a backcourt that is small but really fast. But I think realistically Wes Clark probably starts and TI is the third guard.
*Speaking of small but really fast, Missouri is going to press quite a bit this year. It really worked last night against Wofford. As they start to play teams with better athletes, it will be interesting to see if it works as well, but I like it. Kim Anderson said they have a bunch of different presses they can use and he plans to employ it quite a bit.
*The other thing Missouri does MUCH better than last year is pass the ball. Phillips is good at it obviously, but I saw some really nice passes from a lot of guys last night. Jakeenan Gant had a beauty off a tip pass, Isabell and Wright had some nice passes. Missouri's best teams could really share the ball (hell, all of the best teams can really share the ball). I'm not comparing the ball movement last night to Mike Anderson's 31 win team or Frank Haith's 30 win team just yet, but they looked like that when you compared it to what we saw last year.
*I said this about 42 times in the game updates thread last night, but my main takeaway is this: This team may or may not be a lot better than last year (they'll be better, but IDK yet just how much). But they're going to be a hell of a lot more entertaining to watch. Last year's team was bad AND boring and that's a really awful combination. I've watched this team play twice and I've been entertained by both games.
*Speaking of being entertained, the announced attendance was only a little over 5000 last night, but the people that were there were really into the game. They got legitimately loud a couple of times and appeared to really get behind this young team. If Anderson gets a couple of years (and I think it's a virtual lock this team is good enough to get him at least one more), I think Missouri fans will have something they haven't had in a while: Players in their second, third and fourth years that they actually know and identify with and want to cheer for. Mizzou has gone through three years now where most fans were going "Who the hell are these guys?" There just wasn't any consistency. If these guys can stick around and develop, I think the fans will really start to like them.
*Maryland Eastern-Shore tomorrow at five. The Tigers ought to be 2-0 as they head to Xavier on Tuesday which, even with all the optimism coming out of last night, will be really, really tough.
*I know it's one game. Everyone gets that. But it was a damn sight better than last year's first game. And Wofford, despite what it may have looked like last night, is a pretty solid team and a good program that's been to four NCAA Tournaments in the last six years.
*I really, really underestimated Kevin Puryear. I thought he'd be kind of a rebounder and defender, maybe a player that could develop over a couple years and the ceiling maybe by the time he was a senior was like a Nathan Buntin type season (which don't get me wrong, wouldn't be a bad thing at all, but Buntin was probably the 3rd/4th guy on the team IIRC). But Puryear has a pretty shot, he's athletic in the lane, he can handle it well enough to get some space now and again and as Kim Anderson said he's probably the best post player on the team.
*Namon Wright took two "No, no, no, Yes, yes, yes" threes last night. I forgot that one of the real bright spots from last year is what a good shooter he is.
*Fans are going to love Terrence Phillips. I think he's got a good game and he has a chance to be a damn good four year player, but even more than that, he's just so engaging and he's so active on social media. I want to be clear that in no way am I saying this class is going to be the English/Denmon class, but if it is, Terrence is the Kimmie of the group.
*Russell Woods can be a valuable piece. He's just incredibly active and while he's not big, he is long. I'll be interested to see what his role is going forward. I think the Tigers are probably best if he's a 5-10 minutes a half guy off the bench, kind of an instant energy, offense and rebounding type of guy.
*By far, bar none, the player I was most impressed with last night as far as what I expected, what Tramaine Isabell. Midway through last year, I thought the kid was gone. He didn't play more than a couple minutes in the first half of the exhibition game. And he was damn good last night. Good enough that I told the guys next to me on press row I think maybe he is a starter on this team. I can see Phillips and Isabell in a backcourt that is small but really fast. But I think realistically Wes Clark probably starts and TI is the third guard.
*Speaking of small but really fast, Missouri is going to press quite a bit this year. It really worked last night against Wofford. As they start to play teams with better athletes, it will be interesting to see if it works as well, but I like it. Kim Anderson said they have a bunch of different presses they can use and he plans to employ it quite a bit.
*The other thing Missouri does MUCH better than last year is pass the ball. Phillips is good at it obviously, but I saw some really nice passes from a lot of guys last night. Jakeenan Gant had a beauty off a tip pass, Isabell and Wright had some nice passes. Missouri's best teams could really share the ball (hell, all of the best teams can really share the ball). I'm not comparing the ball movement last night to Mike Anderson's 31 win team or Frank Haith's 30 win team just yet, but they looked like that when you compared it to what we saw last year.
*I said this about 42 times in the game updates thread last night, but my main takeaway is this: This team may or may not be a lot better than last year (they'll be better, but IDK yet just how much). But they're going to be a hell of a lot more entertaining to watch. Last year's team was bad AND boring and that's a really awful combination. I've watched this team play twice and I've been entertained by both games.
*Speaking of being entertained, the announced attendance was only a little over 5000 last night, but the people that were there were really into the game. They got legitimately loud a couple of times and appeared to really get behind this young team. If Anderson gets a couple of years (and I think it's a virtual lock this team is good enough to get him at least one more), I think Missouri fans will have something they haven't had in a while: Players in their second, third and fourth years that they actually know and identify with and want to cheer for. Mizzou has gone through three years now where most fans were going "Who the hell are these guys?" There just wasn't any consistency. If these guys can stick around and develop, I think the fans will really start to like them.
*Maryland Eastern-Shore tomorrow at five. The Tigers ought to be 2-0 as they head to Xavier on Tuesday which, even with all the optimism coming out of last night, will be really, really tough.
