West Virginia big men, defense too much for Mizzou basketball in fourth straight loss
The Missouri Tigers found themselves rejuvenated at halftime against No. 14 West Virginia.
Despite another slow start, Mizzou clawed back to shrink what was a 14-point deficit to one. The Tigers were energized and ready to compete in what figured to be a tight game in the second half on Saturday at WVU Coliseum.
But it was all Mountaineers from there. They buried Mizzou in a 21-0 run, dominating the Tigers in a 74-51 win. What was a close game became a blowout within minutes as West Virginia’s forwards wore out the Tigers.
“They turned the heat up,” Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said. “They went to both of their bigs. Whether their bigs were scoring the ball or not, they had a presence. Did a great job of attacking downhill, putting pressure on the defense.”
As Martin intends, Mizzou’s comeback effort in the first half started on the defensive end of the floor.
The Tigers forced the Mountaineers into uncomfortable looks, holding them scoreless for 4 minutes, 58 seconds and forcing six turnovers. Mizzou finished the half on a 17-4 run.
It flipped a blowout into a nailbiter by halftime. Then the Mountaineers flipped it back into a laugher in the second half.
Much like Martin, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins’ teams thrive on physicality. Once his team sprinted out to a second half lead, the WVU defense clamped down. Mizzou shot 28.3% with more turnovers (16) than made field goals (15).
“They play a physical brand of basketball,” Mizzou guard Torrence Watson said. “We do as well but they get in there and they go after it. They stay on your top side a whole lot of times. Then they switch you all five ways. Sometimes it’s hard to get open.”
The Mountaineers relied on their two star forwards, Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe. While Culver only scored four points, he grabbed 11 rebounds. Tshiebwe added 14 points and eight rebounds, feasting on the Tigers’ limited front court — one sorely missing forward Jeremiah Tilmon.
Once the WVU forwards got going, it cracked the Tigers’ defense, Martin said. It also allowed the West Virginia guards to get more involved.
“They’re relentless in their pursuit of getting balls without fouls,” Martin said of WVU’s forwards. “Even watching film, they don’t foul a lot even coming over the back. They move your lower bodies. They move you. Even posting up, they’re doing a great job of getting the angles without fouling.”
For the Tigers, a significant part of their game plan revolved around limiting the forwards and their rebounding prowess. They succeeded in neither of those areas, getting outrebounded by the Mountaineers 50-30.
Forward Reed Nikko had a stellar first half, especially on defense as he tenaciously denied the Mountaineers the ball in the post. But he and the other bigs were worn down by the Mountaineers during their second-half run.
The combination of guarding two bigs also presented a unique challenge, Nikko added.
“We can’t double and help from the same areas we’re used to,” Nikko said. “Usually it’d be from the other big. When there’s two of them, they can dump it over the top back to the other one. We had to mix it up a little.”
At a point where Mizzou’s season is slipping away, the Tigers lost their fourth straight, though Saturday was part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge and not conference play. While a loss on the road to a ranked team won’t break the Tigers’ season, it puts more pressure on their next few games.
Mizzou’s conference slate eases up the next three games. It’s a chance for momentum as the Tigers play Georgia at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Mizzou Arena.
“We’re frustrated,” Nikko said. “After every one of these games, we’ve talked and had good conversations in the locker room. We gotta fix this. We’re confident we’re going to break through and go on a winning streak. It’s just we gotta get that first win to start it.”