Poor Mizzou habits unearthed as Charleston Southern knocks out Tigers in upset
With 10 minutes left and the Missouri Tigers battling Charleston Southern, there was a moment of uneasiness for Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin.
Momentum was hard to come by. There was no flow to the offense. Some of the players felt it, too, forward Jeremiah Tilmon said.
“Our energy was just off, a little bad,” Tilmon said. “I feel like everybody was ready, we were just playing. We were all playing hard and playing together.”
Martin’s hunch was proved correct: the Tigers were stunned by Charleston Southern 68-60 on Tuesday at Mizzou Arena. After the game, Martin stressed multiple times it was one of his toughest losses as a coach.
A bulk of Mizzou’s poor habits were unearthed in what will likely go down as the worst loss of Martin’s tenure. The Tigers dug themselves into another early deficit as shots refused to fall. When they did have a comfortable lead, they coughed it up as the defense faltered.
“They all hurt, but this obviously hurts,” Martin said. “We didn’t play well. We didn’t flow well. We didn’t defend well, especially in the second half.”
Charleston Southern couldn’t miss in the second half. The Buccaneers shot 72.7% (8 for 11) from three after halftime, fueling the upset bid. With the score tied 56-56 and three minutes left, the visitors connected on three straight three-point attempts.
The Tigers had no response, shooting 15.4% (4 for 26) from behind the arc. Overall, they shot 35.7% (20 of 56).
“We didn’t play at the level we’re capable of playing at — and the way we practice,” Martin said. “It was tough.”
The telltale signs of Mizzou’s struggles were evident. The Tigers started slow again, down 12-3 to the Buccaneers early. They shot themselves into the deficit, starting off 1 for 13 from the field. While they recovered against an inferior team, ranked 314th by KenPom, Martin said the early stretch gave the Buccaneers hope of an upset.
There were attempts to combat those problems. Martin changed the starting lineup for the first time this season, inserting Xavier Pinson for Javon Pickett. Martin said it was an attempt to speed up the pace and get out in transition, though the Tigers were unable to do so.
While Martin said the execution in practice was there, once the game got going, the offense stagnated.
“We recognized that’s what happened at (Kansas City),” Tilmon said. “We talked about that a lot but for that not to happen. But it happened again. We were looking at each other like we have to figure it out.”
While the Buccaneers celebrated in the locker room postgame, the Tigers (4-4) were already flipping the page. Tilmon said there were “positive” thoughts from the coaches in an effort to not dwell on the loss.
“Very tough loss,” Martin said. “I’ve been doing this a long time. Obviously, give Charleston (Southern) credit. They did a great job staying in the game, competing, not letting up even when they got down eight or nine.”
The Buccaneers headed for milkshakes afterwards for what is a post-win tradition, according to Charleston Southern coach Barclay Radebaugh. The Tigers will pick up the scraps of a loss and learn from it, Tilmon said.
Mizzou has a few days before it faces a 6-1 Temple team at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. It’ll be another true road nonconference game after an overtime loss to Xavier.
“Nobody expects to lose, nobody wants to lose,” Tilmon said. “As soon as the game was over with, we made sure nobody had their hands down and we were talking all positive. We let it go already. Game is over with, we don’t think about it no more.”