How Mizzou basketball misses Jeremiah Tilmon after another brutal offensive showing
For a Missouri Tigers offense that has slogged through brutal stretches of inefficiency this season, they tumbled to further lows against No. 14 West Virginia on Saturday.
They shot just 28.3 percent on field goals, including a 2-for-21 start from the field. Their starting lineup scored 14 points total, combining for a 3-for-23 mark. They had more turnovers (16) than made field goals (15).
The final result was a 74-51 loss to the Mountaineers on Saturday at WVU Coliseum. While West Virginia coach Bob Huggins’ team plays a similar grit-and-grind style to Mizzou under coach Cuonzo Martin, it was the Mountaineers who bullied the Tigers into missed shots.
“It’s extremely hard because you have to get action at the rim,” Martin said of the missed shots. “It’s the game. It puts so much pressure on the defense (when shots don’t fall). … We have to be able to make shots.”
Much like many of Mizzou’s problems — on both offense and defense — a bulk of its struggles can be attributed to forward Jeremiah Tilmon’s absence. Without Tilmon, other Tigers have to move up the hierarchy and/or play some outside of their initial role.
It also means the Tigers are vulnerable to opposing game plans, Martin said. Instead of worrying about Tilmon in the post, defenses can sell out underneath to stop Dru Smith and Mark Smith.
That means open shots for other Tigers — but they also need to make those chances. Forward Mitchell Smith was wide open on multiple three-point attempts on Saturday, but he failed to capitalize in an 0-for-5 showing from three. It played right into how the Mountaineers wanted to defend the Tigers.
“Our bigs are doing a good job battling, but we don’t have the level of presence of offensive production down at the rim like that,” Martin said. “Now you press up on those two guys and make somebody else beat you.”
Arguably most worrying was Dru Smith’s disappearance on Saturday, the do-it-all guard tasked with running the offense. After back-to-back games with 18 points, he scored just two points on 0-for-2 shooting, earning his lone points at the free-throw line.
Dru Smith pointed out how he felt like he didn’t have many open shots as the WVU Coliseum crowd booed him whenever he touched the ball. The West Virginia defense pressured him often as there were little openings available for him to exploit.
“Just gotta focus on getting to the paint,” Dru Smith said. “The games where I’m not getting to the paint are when I seem to be struggling. Just staying aggressive, driving the ball and also taking the open shots.”
Mizzou had a lone bright spot in guard Torrence Watson, who scored 19 points on 6-for-13 shooting. But he made three three-pointers in the final minutes as a bulk of his production came in garbage time.
Watson said it was confidence-boosting to watch shots fall, especially after he missed a potential game-winner against Texas A&M on Tuesday. If Watson can hit three-pointers with any sort of consistency, it’ll help the Tigers stretch defenses and respect his shot.
“It felt good, but at the same time, I gotta make sure I start earlier in the game when we have more of a chance to win,” Watson said. “But it definitely felt good to see the ball go in.”
Two rookies
When Mitchell Smith picked up his second foul with 15 minutes, 53 seconds left in the first half, it forced Martin to dip into his bench for forwards. He found two unlikely sources: Tray Jackson and Axel Okongo.
Both saw extended playing time. Okongo was on the floor for a career-high eight minutes. He also scored his first career points on a dunk that ended West Virginia’s 21-0 run in the second half.
Jackson collected four points and five rebounds after not playing vs. Texas A&M. The freshman forward flashed growing pains: aggressive on both offense and defense, but fouled out in just 10 minutes.
“He’s a talented young man, but there are things he still has to learn,” Martin said of Jackson. “Awareness of where he’s at on defense. Being an aggressive scorer.”