Fouls continue to plague Mizzou basketball but Tray Jackson is impressive again
The Missouri Tigers were pulling away, creating separation against No. 25 LSU.
The lead stretched to 12 points as Mizzou momentarily hushed the 10,990 fans at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The offense was humming efficiently for the first time in weeks, MU coach Cuonzo Martin’s Tigers finding their spots on the floor on Tuesday.
But then LSU made a free throw … then another … and it rarely stopped. By halftime, the lead was trimmed to just six points.
Mizzou’s defense was again foul prone in what’s been an issue all season. It kept the opponent in the game, then when LSU’s shots started to fall, the home team pulled away for an 82-78 win. LSU finished 29 for 34 from the free throw line.
“We just gotta do a better job of keeping our hands off,” MU guard Dru Smith said. “We’re letting teams get in the bonus way too quick. They’re getting easy buckets. They had 17 points off free throws in the first half. We can’t do that.”
According to KenPom, the Tigers are 39th in the nation in defensive effective field goal percentage. In turnover percentage, they’re 45th. When it comes to solely defending the ball and forcing turnovers, Mizzou’s one of the better teams in the nation.
But the Tigers are 337th of 343 teams in defensive free throw rate. It means they allow teams to get to the free throw line more than almost every team in the nation.
While Martin and his coaching staff stress to stay arm’s length away on defense, the Tigers are also prone to ticky-tacky fouls. A wayward hand can be called for a reach-in foul or hand-checking.
The fouls are an issue when it comes to Mizzou’s depth, too. The Tigers are already down Jeremiah Tilmon and Mark Smith, two important starters. Once anybody in the rotation gets into foul trouble, it thins an already struggling depth.
While Martin pointed out how LSU draws fouls well through drives, the Tigers have another challenge in No. 11 Auburn on Saturday. KenPom ranks Auburn with the fourth-best offensive free throw rate in the country. Auburn gets to the free throw line a ton, just what Mizzou doesn’t need as it readies for a tough matchup at Mizzou Arena.
“It’s hard to take a moral victory after a loss, especially a good team like that,” forward Reed Nikko said after the LSU game. “It just keeps reminding us that we can play in this league. Our margin of error is slim. We got an opportunity to take another big one at home.”
Freshman consistency
For the second straight game, forward Tray Jackson impressed in his limited minutes. The Detroit native made a couple early three-pointers and was aggressive going to the basket.
The freshman finished with nine points and four rebounds, part of Mizzou’s efficient offense early in the game. But the negative: Jackson only played 19 minutes as he was hit with four fouls.
It was a major development for Jackson on Tuesday, stringing together a pair of impressive games for the first time. Martin praised Jackson after the game and showed his trust in Jackson during critical moments, including sending him out in the final few minutes when the game was still in limbo.
While Jackson said it was a growing experience to be out there, he was also called for a travel on one Mizzou’s final possessions. It’s limiting those mistakes that make a difference down the stretch, he said.
“That comes with experience,” Jackson said of the miscues. “Getting more games under my belt. More practice, learn and watch film.”
Wounded Tigers
Mark Smith missed his fourth straight game on Tuesday as he deals with a lower back injury. While he was considered a game-time decision, he didn’t go through pregame warmups, though he made the LSU trip. Martin said he shut down the guard earlier during walkthrough.
Tilmon didn’t make the trip to LSU as he is sidelined because of his leg injury. He was considered unavailable for Tuesday ahead of the game.
“I didn’t see it in him in the walkthrough,” Martin said of Mark Smith. “It’s best to just shut him down. I didn’t see it, I need to feel it.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 10:52 AM.