How Mizzou Tigers basketball passed ‘class’ in comeback win over Liberty
Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said he knew Wednesday’s game against Liberty would be the Tigers’ toughest test of the young season. Not necessarily based on talent — MU beat a then-ranked Oregon team last week after all — but instead predicated on how the Flames attacked offensively.
Martin pointed to the array of sets and deception Liberty ran: the back cuts, the Princeton elements, the motion offense. That’s a difficult team to prepare for in a few days, Martin said.
But he said the Tigers had enough experience to warrant scheduling the Flames in the first place. Martin compared the game planning to a “math class,” where he knew he had to pass, which the Tigers did, “but boy, it was a good one.”
The Flames played right up to Martin’s expectations, enough to give Mizzou a scare in its first halftime deficit this season. But the Tigers stormed back against Liberty for the 69-60 win Wednesday at Mizzou Arena, though the victory came with lessons learned.
“Our guys did a great job really adjusting in the second half,” Martin said. “They do a tremendous job of playing physical without fouling. Moving their feet. Making you make tough shots and make shots.”
The Tigers (4-0) used an overwhelming second half to douse the Flames (4-3), outscoring the opposition 41-28. While the offense sputtered, Mizzou returned to its DNA: defense.
MU guard Mark Smith said once the Tigers got some stops, they opened up offensively. That run started late in the first half after Liberty built its largest lead of the night at 11 points. Then the Tigers came out throwing haymakers out of halftime, blitzing the Flames with a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead.
“We took the punches in the first half, so now it’s our time to fight back,” Smith said. “We really ramped it up defensively. I feel like the talk was a lot more, it was infectious. All five guys on the court were talking. We were one. I think that’s really what played a big part.”
When Mizzou sputtered, it looked eerily similar to its stagnant offense from last season. Martin took part of the blame, saying he needed to switch up the game plan once he saw his players were stagnant. He said they were trying to feed MU forward Jeremiah Tilmon in the post, but that meant there was too much standing around while the action was elsewhere.
Perhaps the worrying signal was the turnover-prone moments. Even as Liberty grinded Mizzou to a halt through its scheme, the Tigers were still giving away possessions through careless giveaways. MU finished with 10 first-half turnovers, directly leading to points for the Flames.
Once Mizzou sparked its comeback attempt, it came back to that all-important defense.
The offense eventually followed. Mark Smith scored a game-high 17 points, hitting four straight three-pointers after missing his first four attempts. The dependable Dru Smith was the guy who broke through in the comeback. His play sparked opportunities to run for Mizzou, a direct transition from defense to offense.
MU passed the figurative class Martin set up; a growing moment in nonconference play for one of the oldest teams in the nation. But that was just the appetizer ahead of the Tigers’ biggest challenge of the season.
Mark Smith said they’ll re-focus on No. 6 Illinois for the annual Braggin’ Rights game, at 7 p.m. Saturday in Mizzou Arena. There was no looking ahead of Liberty or anything as the veteran group stayed focused on their mission. That next task will be downing a dangerous Illini team looking for revenge after the past two losses in the rivalry.
“We started off a little slow, but those last seven minutes (of the first half), we definitely came back and got back to our brand of basketball,” Mark Smith said. “Had a lot of energy defensively and reeled off some stops. I think it just helped us carry right in the second half.”