Mizzou ready to show new stripes during Friday’s public scrimmage

Coming off back-to-back three-win seasons in the Southeastern Conference, it’s no surprise that expectations for the Missouri men’s basketball team are low.

The Tigers were picked to finish last in conference again, according to a preseason poll released last week, and nobody with the program is arguing that’s unfair.

“Certainly, based on what we have coming back from last year and the way we finished last year, if I had a vote I probably would’ve picked us in the same place,” third-year Mizzou coach Kim Anderson said. “But that’s certainly not where I think we’ll finish.”

Before the last two seasons, the Tigers hadn’t finished in the conference cellar two straight years since the late 1960s prior to Norm Stewart’s arrival, so a return to respectability is the modest goal in 2016-17.

Mizzou fans can get their first look at the squad as well as the women’s basketball team, which has been beset by key injuries this preseason, during Friday’s Halloween & Hoops event.

The annual Black and Gold scrimmages are set to begin at 6:30 p.m. inside Mizzou Arena.

The women will take Norm Stewart Court first, followed by a slam-dunk contest and the men’s scrimmage.

Doors for the free event — which will include trick-or-treating and an autograph session — open at 5:30 p.m. and fans are encouraged to wear costumes.

Missouri’s men understand it’s hard to generate preseason excitement after going 19-44 during the last two seasons, but the team believes it will give fans ample reason for renewed optimism.

“We all know what happened last year,” sophomore point guard Terrence Phillips said. “We didn’t have the best year in the world, but we’re looking forward to a positive year this year.”

The incoming crop of freshmen also hopes to lay the groundwork for a revival.

“Everybody’s counting you out and not really looking at you much, but, when you bring a program back and people are going to start hearing a buzz around campus and stuff, it will be that much more exciting,” freshman forward Mitchell Smith said.

The Tigers spent the bulk of the offseason working on defense after finishing last in the SEC in adjusted defensive efficiency at 111.1 in conference play last season, according to KenPom.com.

Mizzou also is working to speed up its offense and increase efficiency as well as creativity at that end of the floor.

“The thing that separates the guys who were here a year ago and the guys who are new as pretty much knowledge ... being able to execute what we want done and then what happens when the play doesn’t work,” Anderson said.

Despite a relative lack of height, or because of it, rebounding also is a major point of emphasis and an area the new blood should make a significant impact.

“(Freshman forward) Willie Jackson has kind of brought a new dimension to our rebounding,” Anderson said. “Some guys, you try to coach them to be good offensive rebounders. You do drills and talk to them, try to motivate them and everything else. Some guys are just kind of born with that instinct. He’s one of those guys. It’s helped a lot from an offensive-rebounding standpoint.”

If nothing else, the Tigers, who also have a “secret scrimmage” scheduled at Creighton this weekend, expect to play with more energy this season.

“I would be disappointed if our effort isn’t more consistent every night,” Anderson said. “This is a team that does have energy, that has good young leadership.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Mizzou ready to show new stripes during Friday’s public scrimmage."