‘Run, run, run:’ Mizzou basketball sprints past Alabama in Senior Day blowout
The Missouri Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide were battling early, with neither team able to break open a lead of more than four points Saturday.
Then Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin’s team went on a game-changing 12-1 run midway through the second half. After the equilibrium refused to break for 30 minutes, the Tigers sprinted ahead of the Crimson Tide in a 69-50 victory at Mizzou Arena.
Martin pointed to one area that flipped the switch for the Tigers: transition buckets. With Alabama more than willing to run, Mizzou (15-16, 7-11 SEC) used that to its advantage, hustling down the floor for baskets whenever it had an opportunity.
“Run, run, run,” Martin said. “We’re better at transition baskets. It’s always hard to score against a half court defense. When you get out in transition to score the ball, get out and run.”
The tone-setter was Mizzou forward Mitchell Smith, Martin said. While the Tigers’ offense was stagnant in the first half, the 6-foot-10 forward was still willing to run.
With a combination of a speedy Xavier Pinson and the chance-of-pace of Dru Smith, it’s a mix the Tigers use often to attack defenders. Once the Alabama defense had to account for Mitchell Smith and other Tigers in transition, it was all they needed.
“Once I saw our guys get the rebound, I just took off as fast as I could down the floor,” Mitchell Smith said. “Then (Alabama) would have to keep up with me. When I put pressure like that, it opens up for our guards.”
But it wasn’t just how the Tigers were running the floor well. After missing their first 12 three-point attempts of the night, Mizzou finished strong from behind the arc, hitting five of their final seven threes.
The final 10 minutes Saturday was all the Tigers needed to blow out Alabama. They finished the game on a 35-13 run.
“They started falling,” Mizzou guard Dru Smith said of the threes. “We knew if we stuck with it, eventually shots would start to go. We were playing hard defensively. Usually you get that correlation of if you’re playing hard, you kind of get some shots to fall for you. It took a little while, but it ended up happening there down the stretch.”
While the transition offense excelled with 12 fast break points, the defense paced Mizzou. The Crimson Tide were never comfortable as their trademark three-pointers refused to fall. They finished 16% from behind the arc, a season-low. Their 50 points scored was also a season-low — by 17 points.
With the three-point shot missing, Alabama didn’t have a consistent weapon to turn to.
“I like to think we defended the way we could and should defend as a team,” Martin said.
It was a feel-good win for the Tigers, snapping a two-game losing streak and sending off their lone senior, Reed Nikko, with a win at Mizzou Arena. After missing his first four shots, Dru Smith rebounded for 17 points and eight assists.
When the Tigers are playing fast and willing runners, they’re a dangerous team, Mizzou guard Javon Pickett said.
“We just gotta continue doing that,” Pickett said. “When we’re playing fast, I feel like we’re a good team. You can get to the basket, you can find somebody for an open three. So we just do a great job, our bigs do a great job of running the floor. That’s a plus for us.”
With the win, the Tigers earned the No. 10 seed and a bye in the SEC Tournament. Mizzou had the tiebreaker over Arkansas, though both teams were 7-11 in SEC play. The tournament starts on Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee. But Mizzou will play No. 7-seeded Texas A&M at 6 p.m. Thursday.
“It’s just basketball, I like playing games,” Martin said. “You put yourself into a situation and you have to deal with it. Whatever the opponent is, let’s roll.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 5:41 PM.