No need to ‘overhaul,’ but Mizzou hoops must fix cracks after Tennessee trouncing
The Missouri men’s basketball team was riding high with a winning record. The Tigers were perfect in the non-conference portion of their schedule, and those efforts were rewarded with a No. 12 national ranking.
But MU coach Cuonzo Martin said he saw cracks in the foundation that could doom the Tigers. There were issues with his transformed, high-flying offense — especially in the first five minutes of games. There were moments of idleness, the Tigers too predictable once their first option dried up.
Those elements upended MU in a 73-53 dismantling by Tennessee Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena. The No. 12-ranked Tigers (6-1, 0-1 SEC) showed their weaknesses on court, and the seventh-ranked Vols (7-0, 1-0) were more than happy to feast on those opportunities.
“For ballplayers, they’re resilient enough to look at the next game,” Martin said. “The great thing about league play is it turns around quick so you don’t have a lot of time to sulk about it. Some of the things we saw coming and hopefully we can get these things corrected. League play, when you get to this point, your margin for error is slim.”
Martin said there’s no need to “overhaul” the entire system. The Tigers, after all, still boast one of the most impressive resumes in the nation. One lopsided loss to a Top 10 team doesn’t change the outlook of the entire season.
Martin equally praised the visitors for their defensive effort, though he said the Tigers didn’t play well enough. The offensive stats were unsightly: 36.4% shooting, 21 turnovers, only three made three-pointers. MU guard Xavier Pinson had an inefficient 11 points to lead the Tigers; their other starting guards, Mark Smith and Dru Smith, had quiet nights.
Some of that was Tennessee’s length as the Vols’ forwards packed the paint. Yves Pons was a force, swatting four blocks and affecting other plays. The Vols also kept Mizzou off-balance with some zone and full-court pressure.
Self-inflicted mistakes by the Tigers — coupled with Tennessee’s fast start — were too much to overcome. The Vols hit their first seven shots and built a 19-point lead. The Tigers never whittled it back to single-digits.
“We’ve just gotta bounce back,” MU guard Drew Buggs said. “We still know what we’re capable of. We still know the type of team we have. It sucks to have our first ‘L’ like this, but it’s a long season.”
Wednesday’s game arrived as a statement-making opportunity for Mizzou. The Tigers, picked to finish 10th in the SEC, had climbed all the way up to 12th in the national polls.
But Tennessee’s balanced effort downed the Tigers. The Vols utilized a mixture of opportunity and playmaking to their advantage, Martin said. There were instances when Mizzou allowed comfortable shots, which Tennessee converted. When MU did force a tough look, Tennessee converted those, too.
The Tigers will need to fix the issues they see on tape, Mizzou guard Dru Smith said. Wednesday evening, MU’s fast-paced offense slowed. Standing around replaced motion.
“There’s not much else you can do with it,” Smith said of the loss. “It’s not like you want to keep reliving it or anything. Just bounce back, lock back in and get ready for Arkansas.”
Mizzou will still battle for SEC supremacy. That starts with beating fellow contenders like the Razorbacks, their opponent at 11 a.m. Saturday at Bud Walton Arena.
“Now that we’re in league play, we’ve got another game in a couple days,” Buggs said. “It’s going to show what our team is made of: how we bounce back. That’s what great teams do, they bounce back after a loss.”