Five thoughts on Mizzou basketball five games in and heading into Hall of Fame Classic
Five games in, the Missouri Tigers are exactly where everyone expected them to be. They beat the opponents they were predicted to and lost a road game against ranked Xavier. At 4-1 they are the No. 32 team in the KenPom rankings.
The Tigers next head to the Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center. They face Butler on Monday in a semifinal, then either Oklahoma or Stanford in the championship or consolation round Tuesday night.
Butler’s a formidable team, No. 22 according to KenPom, and features a balanced offense and defense. It’ll be a tough test for Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin’s team — but also a chance to make noise nationally.
Here are five thoughts five games in on Mizzou hoops.
1. Defense is good and could be great
The Tigers have hounded teams, not allowing more than 63 points in a game thus far. While their opponents aren’t heavyweights yet, the stats show a positive trend.
The Tigers are No. 7 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom. The stat measures points allowed per 100 possessions against an average offense. That would be the best mark under Martin at Mizzou by a long shot. His team was 51st last year and 43rd two years ago.
Here’s the secret: This isn’t Mizzou’s peak. At least, that’s how Martin views it.
In striving toward defensive heights, there has to be an all-in commitment. Mizzou isn’t there yet. Martin pointed out how some players are grinding on defense because that’s what the coaches want. But they’ll hit another level once they want to.
Mizzou has the personnel — and depth — to be a good defensive team. If Martin gets the players to buy in, they might be great.
“I said to our guys jokingly but serious, ‘Just imagine if you enjoy playing defense,’” Martin said. “That’s the separation. Really taking pride in and understand what it means.”
2. Beating teams with second half depth
Mizzou has yet to figure out why its such a strong second half team. Martin and the players can’t pinpoint it, saying they’re “settling in” as the game goes longer. The Tigers are outscoring teams by 11.8 points after halftime.
The win vs. Wofford showcased a whiff of why Mizzou is such a sturdy second half team. In the first half, the Tigers forced the Terriers to go one-on-one often. By the second half, as the Terriers continued to run through their playmakers, they were exhausted and couldn’t execute.
While there are multiple reasons as to why Mizzou has shined in the second half, the depth doesn’t hurt. It allows Martin to play matchups and keep his playmakers fresh for the final stretches of the game.
There’s still a long way to go, but Martin’s rotation has seemingly settled. There’s a core of seven players who play the bulk of games: Dru Smith, Mark Smith, Javon Pickett, Jeremiah Tilmon, Xavier Pinson, Kobe Brown and Torrence Watson. They’ve played in all five games this year.
For the rest of the minutes, it’ll be a mix of Tray Jackson, Mitchell Smith, Reed Nikko, Mario McKinney Jr. and Parker Braun, depending on game flow and other factors. Braun’s been a pleasant surprise as Martin’s given him extended playing time the past two games.
3. Point guard play impresses
When Dru Smith and Pinson first played this year, there were kinks to work out. After months of competing against each other in practice, they had to adjust to being on the same side.
While Pinson doesn’t start, he plays a large role, averaging the fourth-most minutes played. The two also aren’t similar players: Pinson pushes the pace while Dru Smith slows it down.
Martin staggers the minutes so he’ll have at least one of them on the court to bring the ball up. When they’re both on the court, it’s been a mix of who plays off the ball.
Mizzou’s offense has been bland at times, especially when shots aren’t falling, but the duo has shined in their own ways. Pinson makes his marquee flashy plays, between the no-look passes and emphatic dunks. Dru Smith does all the little things, scoring when needed, distributing the ball at other times.
Both have also embraced Martin’s defensive scheme. Pinson seeks out the opponent’s best guard and asks to defend him. Dru Smith said he enjoys focusing on defense first then letting everything else fall into place — a Martin mantra.
“They’ve been solid, I don’t think they’ve been great,” Martin said. “The biggest thing for both of them is to take care of the basketball. Both of those guys are good ball-handlers and good decision-makers.”
4. Three-point shooting is down but it’s early
Mizzou’s three-point shooting has been brutal at times. The Tigers are hitting 26.7% this season, 315th in the nation. Mark Smith is the only Mizzou player making more than a third of his threes at 39.4%. (Jeremiah Tilmon’s at 100%, but on one attempt.)
Martin said he’s not losing sleep over the shots, especially because the bulk of the threes are open. The coach added the new three-point line — the deeper international line — likely has to do with the regression.
Watson (20.8%) and Pinson (8.3%) have really struggled but they were both outside threats last season. Watson shot 36.1% and Pinson 40%. With such a small sample size through five games, Mizzou should see better shooting going forward.
Look no further than Mark Smith. He looked rusty in the opening night win over Incarnate Word, going 0-for-4 from three with zero points. But he’s turned it on since then as Mizzou’s best shooter and leading scorer at 13.6 points per game.
5. Martin won’t baby Tilmon after fouls
To Tilmon’s credit, he hasn’t been as foul-happy this season. At least so far.
But the time he was needed at Xavier, Tilmon picked up two quick fouls early in the first half. Then Martin benched him until the start of the second half … until Tilmon picked up his third foul just minutes in. It led to another quick trip to the bench until he was called on down the stretch.
Tilmon’s foul troubles are well-documented. The 6-foot-10 forward admitted he would let the fouls get to his head when he was a freshman. Now a junior, he changed his approach, explaining how he’ll continue to be aggressive despite being in foul trouble.
That maturity comes with higher expectations, though. Martin won’t wait around for Tilmon to stop fouling or try to protect him in games. That responsibility lies on Tilmon.
“I don’t (balance fouls), you have to play the game,” Martin said on Tilmon. “Jeremiah’s a junior in college. You have to play the game. We have to keep moving. It’s one thing if you’re talking an 18-year-old kid. But he’s a junior in college and he has to do his job.”