Mizzou basketball shows it’s not the same team from last season by upsetting Oregon
The Missouri Tigers looked like they were done. They had missed their last 15 shots, failing to score for a stretch that lasted 7 minutes, 11 seconds across halves. No. 21-ranked Oregon chopped what was a 17-point MU lead to just five points.
Then MU guard Xavier Pinson drew a charge. Then he drilled a long three-pointer. After a Javon Pickett score, Pinson found Mitchell Smith for an easy layup.
Mizzou never backed down from there, exhibiting the toughness and efficiency MU coach Cuonzo Martin had been searching for. It wasn’t a perfect effort by any means, but the Tigers marched victorious over Oregon in a gritty 83-75 victory Wednesday at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Tigers likely fall a few points short in a game like that last season. There’s even an early-season comparison, which Pinson pointed out. MU lost in overtime to ranked Xavier on the road early in 2019-20 nonconference play. The Tigers were, yes, a few possessions away from victory.
But that was last season. A whole pandemic ago. And the Tigers (2-0) didn’t understate Wednesday’s upset over the Ducks (0-1), adding they plan to use it as a launching pad for the rest of the season.
“Just to come back this year and really just start off right and start off solid — it’s everything,” Pinson said. “Everybody did everything they could. … Everybody laid it out on the line and I feel like it’s way more gratifying in every kind of way.”
Finally, too, can Mizzou showcase what team it truly is with a fully healthy squad. In each of Martin’s past three years, key playmakers were sidelined with injuries. The fourth-year MU coach won’t use it as an excuse, but the difference in quality of play showed Wednesday when Martin could dip deep into his roster.
Five Tigers scored in double-figures Wednesday, all performing their tasks in differing ways.
Pinson scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half — right when the Tigers needed a spark. Pickett starred alongside Pinson, pouring in 11 of his 13 points in the second half.
Mark Smith was dependable in the first half, especially from deep. His early three-pointers kept Oregon’s zone defense honest. He scored 13 of his 15 points in the opening half. The Tigers picked apart the Ducks’ defense, posting just seven turnovers in what’s been a struggle for Martin-coached teams in past years against a press. Guard Dru Smith and forward Jeremiah Tilmon added 11 points each, though it was somewhat off nights for the two.
“Like everybody keeps saying, we’re an older team,” Pickett said. “We’ve got guys that have been here before. Just going out there, playing our game. Not changing anything. Going out there doing our best and just playing hard.”
Where Mizzou showcased its new-look self was when Oregon brought it down to a five-point game with less than a minute remaining. There was no shriveling up; the Tigers didn’t blink. They made their free throws, never letting the Ducks fully complete their comeback attempt.
Martin said they knew at halftime Oregon would punch back. Victories over ranked opponents aren’t supposed to come easy, after all. The battle-tested veterans carried out the “get consumed with winning” attitude Martin and his staff have preached.
“When you’re playing at this level and this level of talent, something has to give,” Martin said. “I think the team with the stronger will has the advantage.”
Of course, it’s still early. An intriguing upset arguably resets expectations for where Mizzou’s squad is going forward, but the nonconference slate provides plenty of challenges. The Tigers’ next three games — at Wichita State, Liberty and No. 5 Illinois — should serve as the barometer for where they stand.
But Mizzou has proven early it’s not quite the same team from last season. The theory was that its experience should lead them to victories. The Tigers proved it early, but the next step is at 1 p.m. Sunday against a shorthanded Shockers team that’s been dealing with COVID-19 issues.
“This win, for me, the whole team, it was just kind of history,” Pinson said. “We just deserved it. Our fans deserved it even though they can’t be here with us right now. I feel like the whole organization deserved this win. We just all laid it out on the line and did what we had to to get the win.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 8:08 AM.