Mizzou Mailbag: Is the NIT still possible? And spring football’s around the corner
Saturday’s about to be a busy day for Missouri Tigers fans and media members.
Spring football starts at 10:30 a.m. and reporters usually get the first 45 minutes of practice to observe. I’ve always told anyone who will listen how spring football is an odd concept because of the time of year. It’s a weird twist as March Madness usually heats up.
Then the XFL goes and does its thing (with some early success) and it was another moment when I was wrong.
After witnessing the start of the Eliah Drinkwitz era, the media then gets to hustle over to Mizzou Arena, where the Tigers take on Alabama at 1:30 p.m. on Senior Day. Mizzou’s lone senior, Reed Nikko, will have about 30 people in attendance for the festivities. He’s quickly turned into a fan favorite and has had a great senior year.
Then we’ll see where that takes us. Football continues until April 11, when the annual spring game takes place. Basketball will have the SEC Tournament in Nashville, though seeding and all those other details are still up in the air.
Let’s get into it. There’s much to converse about, considering I listed all those reasons. Again, I appreciate all the questions. If you want to participate, send me any Mizzou Mailbag questions to sterada@kcstar.com.
Quite a few bits to tackle here, which should be fun.
I understand questioning Cuonzo Martin’s defense-first approach because it’s not really what sells in college basketball. There’s still a lot of value to the defensive side of the court. It leaves you susceptible to an opponent’s hot shooting night, but hey, that’s literally all of college basketball. Look at what Virginia did two years ago — lose to a 16 seed — then win a national championship the next season.
The secret, in my opinion, is that you need to be at least decent on both ends of the court. It’s fine if you focus on one or the other, but both sides need to work together.
Also, yeah, great teams do have a player like that on offense who’s difficult to stop. Can Xavier Pinson be someone like that for the Tigers one day? It’s certainly possible. The next step for him as a sophomore is to continue growing and fixing those silly mistakes.
At the same time, I wouldn’t say Ole Miss had that player on Wednesday. Breein Tyree’s a talented scorer, but … he was slowed down considerably in the first half. There were multiple times Dru Smith stopped Tyree and forced him to divert his path. My point is, sometimes it happens when your best scorer is stopped.
In terms of the screens for shooters, I usually get a bird’s eye view of sorts and I’m seeing a lot of sets and movement. Usually one of the assistant coaches (Chris Hollender) will have a whiteboard with a play written down and Dru Smith or Pinson gives it a look to see what play they’re running.
This bleeds into the next question about inbounds sets, but in general, Mizzou’s getting open looks at three-pointers. There are a few contested threes you don’t want to take, but for the most part, Mizzou gets good looks.
On inbounds plays, again, generally speaking, have been pretty solid. I know people complain about Torrence Watson taking the potential game-winner against Texas A&M but … that was a great look. Parker Braun had the first option, then when he didn’t have it, he kicked it out to Watson for an open look. Considering the circumstances, that was drawn up really well.
In recruiting, obviously, I think you have to look for someone who can score. Will that be Josh Christopher? We’ll know within the next few months. But otherwise, I can see Martin dabbling in the transfer portal or other options. Mizzou does have an open scholarship after Mario McKinney Jr. transferred.
Honestly, I get it.
The football team started great at 5-1 and ranked No. 22, then it collapsed and finished 6-6. (Though in hindsight, maybe not the worst thing because the NCAA decided to uphold the postseason ban.)
The basketball team has looked unwatchable at times, though the Tigers picked it up in recent weeks. But back-to-back losses sink them even further, which is rough.
I will say, though, all the heartbreak will (hopefully) pay off at the end. Look at the Chiefs and their Super Bowl win. Winning one and having a payoff for all the heartbreak is (I’m assuming) adds a little extra on top.
The only guarantee we know is that Nikko will be gone after he graduates, which I think will end up as a bit of adjustment next season. There’s the leadership aspect he brings aside from his filling the role player bit perfectly.
The rest are a bunch of maybes or possibilities. Is it possible Dru Smith, Jeremiah Tilmon and Pinson all go pro? Yeah. Is it likely? Probably not. I can see Tilmon looking to get some feedback from the NBA again. But I’m not going to speculate on his plans, because I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know what he’s going to do yet.
I’ve said this before, but I know some fans are worried someone like Tray Jackson might leave because of his fluctuating playing time. But based on what I’m hearing from people around the team, that’s unlikely.
Could someone like Parker Braun transfer because he’s shown bits of his talent? Maybe. But that’s something those players will have to make on their own instead of a beat writer speculating.
But if the Tigers bring back everyone who can, they should be a solid team next year. I think it’s fair to call them competitive this year, but putting it all together is something a team full of upperclassmen are going to do. That should be next for Mizzou, barring any major surprises or twists.
In theory, yeah. In reality, probably not. The absolute best Mizzou can finish the regular season is 15-16, a game under .500, and 7-11 in the SEC.
Now, if they make significant noise in the SEC Tournament and go 3-1 or better, then the NIT might be back on the table … but that’s still a big maybe. I wouldn’t hold my breath because a lot has to go right for Mizzou.
But — and I’ve said this multiple times — crazier things have happened. If the Tigers are making an SEC Tournament run, though, you might as well go with the NCAA Tournament or bust mindset.
This does not quite fit for a typical mailbag, you’re right. But I am not your typical mailbag writer. And on another note, I can’t do a full year in review, because, hey, I haven’t been here for a full football and basketball season yet. Also there are at least two more basketball games to cover.
But overall, man, it’s been a lot. Lots of driving and flying (at odd hours) to places I’ve never been to cover a basketball or football game. And it’s awesome. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy nearly every second of the gig. I try not to take it for granted how I do this for a living, but it’s easy to get lost in the grind mid-season.
One of the more difficult things parachuting on a beat is the institutional knowledge you haven’t quite built up. I’ve done my fair bit of research on Mizzou athletics history, but small details fall through the cracks because I wasn’t there watching and writing about every game like I am now.
Adjusting to the SEC, too, is a weird thing. I come from Big Ten country, where the basketball culture is different. But man, the football in this conference is on another level. It’s different tastes and there’s nothing wrong with either, in my opinion.
It’s a bit strange reflecting on a season that hasn’t quite finished yet, especially with spring football coming up. I plan to sit down, relax and dissect what the first several months have been on the beat, but that’s what the offseason is for. So hopefully I can give this question a bit more justice once I can breathe a little.
I’ll do one for football and basketball each.
I only have six games to choose from for football, but the game against Georgia at night was incredible. That was really, really cool. The lights show, the national audience, the whole deal. It felt like a real introduction to SEC football and it lived up to the hype.
I’ve seen bigger crowds (The Big House is, in fact, really damn big), but there was something about the whole presentation that stood out to me.
On the basketball side, the easy winner for me is the Braggin’ Rights game against Illinois. Martin mentioned it a few times heading into the game, but it’s rare when you get a true neutral crowd where the fans are, in theory, split in half. Whenever either side did something noteworthy, the crowd erupted.
As a sportswriter, I don’t cheer for teams. Bluntly, there’s not really a reason for me to root for Mizzou. But, and I’m sure many of my colleagues agree with me, covering games with incredible environments is simply awesome. Nothing quite like it.
I haven’t quite found a new favorite restaurant, though I’ve enjoyed some eats. My take: Kansas City barbecue is better than Memphis. But both are still good. Elsewhere, I have a great time exploring different southern cities.