‘You can’t draw it up better than that:’ What an upset win would mean for Mizzou
It’s been a long two weeks for Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin and his Tigers. After a confidence-boosting win over Florida, it’s been a slog to any sort of consistency. Their season teeters on the edge as the losses pile up, their latest against Texas A&M at home on Tuesday.
When the Tigers take on No. 14 West Virginia at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, they face their toughest opponent of the season. It’s a game that appears lopsided on paper as the Mountaineers have picked up impressive wins and the Tigers are 9-9.
But for Mizzou, it’s the perfect opportunity to earn a resume-boosting upset victory. For a team that faces an easier schedule the rest of the SEC season, it allows for a window of momentum.
“You can’t draw it up to be better than that,” forward Mitchell Smith said. “Going to Morgantown, that would be a really big win. We just gotta be focused, do our scouting report. Just go in there and play tough.”
West Virginia’s two leading scorers, Oscar Tshiebwe (11.7 points per game) and Derek Culver (10.7 points), set the tone. The duo nearly averages a double-double in points and rebounds. Tshiebwe is tied for first in the Big 12 with 9.5 rebounds per game, while Culver is fourth at 9.2 boards a game.
They’re a big part of why the Mountaineers are sixth in the nation in rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents by 9.2 per game.
Martin wants to win the battle on the boards. The tough, grind-it-out style is what the third-year coach has built at Mizzou. It’s why the Tigers know it will take a team effort against West Virginia, Mizzou guard Dru Smith said.
“They might only send three to the glass, but they’re averaging a lot of offensive rebounds,” Dru Smith said. “They’re making a lot of money off of that, getting a lot of points out of that. … The bigs may be the main ones blocking out, but we’re going to definitely have to get down there and help block out.”
But that means another unfavorable matchup for the Tigers, who miss forward Jeremiah Tilmon’s production.
Tilmon has missed five games because of a stress fracture in his left foot, which Martin said on Thursday is a “week to week” injury. The 6-foot-10 forward has shed his crutches and walking boot, returning to floor activity, though there’s no exact timetable for his return.
Through the losing streak, opposing forwards have feasted against Mizzou’s thin frontcourt. Mississippi State’s Reggie Perry (23 points, 10 rebounds), Alabama’s Alex Reese (17 points, five rebounds) and other SEC forwards posted strong games facing the Tigers in recent weeks.
West Virginia will also pressure the Tigers guards often, especially their ballhandlers in Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson, with a bit of Mark Smith mixed in. As typical of any team coached by the Mountaineers’ Bob Huggins, “Press Virginia” lives up its name through full-court defense.
“They do a great job defending you, pressing you,” Martin said. “Being physical. It’s not wild, there’s a method to it.”
But the Tigers can follow the template of their win Braggin’ Rights victory over Illinois. At the time, Illinois was first nationally in rebounding margin, led by prized forward Kofi Cockburn. Despite that, the Tigers outrebounded the Illini as Cockburn collected just two rebounds.
The Tigers followed Martin’s principles perfectly in their win, physically imposing their will on the Illini.
“We gotta be aggressive, gotta go to the boards aggressive,” Mitchell Smith said. “Gotta want the ball more. Can’t give up 50-50 balls. We just can’t, that’s really important. We just gotta go out there with toughness.”
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 1:04 PM.