Mizzou flourishes without Tilmon, but Tigers still miss the forward’s on-court presence
When Missouri forward Jeremiah Tilmon was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot, the Tigers knew their offense needed to change.
Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin ran the offense through Tilmon, the 6-foot-10 forward who many hoped was poised to take the next step entering his junior season. It has been a mixed bag this season for Tilmon, who averages 9.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 12 games as foul trouble and injuries have slowed him considerably.
But when Tilmon went down, the focus turned firmly to Mizzou’s wealth of guards — a huge part of why many thought the Tigers could compete for an NCAA Tournament bid.
In their second game without Tilmon and time to adjust, the Tigers were superb, showcasing their best offensive performance of the season in a 91-75 victory over Florida on Saturday at Mizzou Arena. The drove of Mizzou guards led the way, with Dru Smith’s stat line of 22 points, six assists and five steals highlighting the victory.
“I always go back to if they play good, they feel good,” Martin said. “But what do you do if your shot isn’t falling? You still have to be the same aggressive, tough-minded player. But to see them fall, I’m happy for the guys. I know they’re talented.”
According to Martin, part of that had to do with Tilmon being out. There was a little too much ball watching when the guards looked to feed Tilmon in the post.
“Part of it, when Jeremiah was here, guys look for him,” Martin said. “You look for him in the post. That can make you reserved or passive. You’ve got to play the game. You have to go out and play the game.”
While the Tigers played great offense against the Gators, they stressed they still missed Tilmon and what he brought to the court.
Guard Mark Smith pointed out how the offense doesn’t function that differently without Tilmon. But compared to Tilmon, Reed Nikko and Mitchell Smith don’t demand as much attention from defenders.
“We love Tilmon,” Mark Smith said. “We really try to get it to Tilmon whenever. We were really more aggressive because we just emphasized that the last couple days of practice, we really gotta be shot-and-drive ready. I feel like all our guards came out aggressive.”
The Tigers looked like a different team against the Gators, the guards driving to the basket often as they also focused on being transition buckets. They outscored Florida 40-14 in the paint. The 12 three-pointers kept Florida at bay and energized the crowd.
While Martin said the guards looked engaged, it didn’t mean the Tigers didn’t miss Tilmon’s production. The coach pointed again to Tilmon’s on-court presence, especially as someone who teams actively game plan for.
“You can’t lose a guy with that magnitude,” Martin said of Tilmon. “When he’s on the scouting report, you have to identify Jeremiah Tilmon. Offensive rebounds, two guys, double in the post, all those things.”
A significant part of Mizzou’s lethargic offense stemmed from its inability to hit three-pointers. Before Saturday’s outburst shooting 63.2% from three, the Tigers were at 30.5% from behind the arc.
It led to a lack of spacing, affecting driving lanes for the guards. For Tilmon, it meant facing double teams often as defenders were unafraid to allow ineffective shooters hoist up threes.
With Mizzou shooting — and making — threes at a rapid rate, it forced the Gators defense to collapse on the perimeter. And it made driving to the basket that much easier for Dru Smith, Mark Smith and others.
For a Mizzou offense hoping to earn consistency, Dru Smith said they’ll look to bring that renewed aggression to each game. They’ll look to do so without Tilmon for the foreseeable future as he’s considered “day-to-day” with his injury.
“Once guys get going and your whole team starts seeing the ball go in for everybody, it’s easy to kind of get going,” Dru Smith. “It just kind of gives you a little more energy.”