How another long layoff could affect Mizzou hoops as Tigers look for another rebound
The Missouri men’s basketball team has become accustomed to long layoffs in the middle of the season. That’s not a usually common theme, especially during conference play, when teams normally have one midweek and one weekend game consistently.
But the No. 17-ranked Tigers (7-2, 1-2 SEC) haven’t played since Jan. 5, a road loss to Mississippi State, because of COVID-19. A positive test and subsequent contact tracing forced MU to pause team activities. The Tigers saw two home games, LSU and Vanderbilt, postponed because of the coronavirus issues.
Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said “as of today,” he expects his team to be at full strength for their next game, a noon tipoff Saturday at Texas A&M. The Tigers were back on the practice court for the first time as a team Wednesday since the pause.
“At the end of the day, it’s basketball,” Martin said. “You deal with a lot of situations. You deal with injuries during the season. COVID is obviously a factor. If I was a player and if I had a chance to take some time off, that’d be great because it’s non-stop.”
The pause’s timing was inconvenient from a basketball perspective. Mizzou collapsed in its last game; Martin said he can now admit the Tigers fell apart. They held a 14-point lead in the second half, only to see it disappear as Mississippi State put together a furious run.
That meant a lot more time to think, MU guard Xavier Pinson said. That has its own consequences, but the Tigers weren’t given a choice. Pinson said there wasn’t any one guy who had to take the leadership reins after their recent loss. The Tigers, a veteran-laden group, instead refocused their energy to what they can control, Pinson said.
“We were anxious and hungry to get back on the court,” Pinson said. “In a time like this, it is what it is. We just slowed down and guide ourselves together. The only time we had to put it in was really the individual workouts, so I just feel like we put our all into that time.”
If there was one area to focus on, Martin pointed to the mental aspect of the sport as a whole. At other schools, athletes have been on campus since the summer and haven’t been able to go home since, even for the holidays.
The Tigers were able to go home and visit family during the Christmas break, allowing them to reset. Martin said he doesn’t think the time off was too chaotic for his team. Individual players were still allowed to watch film or lift weights, they just couldn’t do anything together as a team.
But the latest layoff means an 11-day stretch between games. That’s similar to what MU endured in December, when the Bradley game was its only action for an 18-day period.
“These are not easy times,” Martin said. “Just think about teams that are able to play all their games with all their guys. That’s impressive.”
Mizzou’s desperately looking for some consistency in SEC play after a stellar nonconference slate. The Tigers are 1-2 against the conference while they boast a perfect 6-0 record against outsiders. They turned in subpar performances against Tennessee and Mississippi State, which sandwiches a solid road win at Arkansas.
The Aggies (7-4, 2-3) aren’t projected to fight for the top of the SEC, but have given Mizzou fits recently. The Tigers were swept by Texas A&M last season and were supposed to meet in the SEC Tournament, though the pandemic wiped that game out. A string of wins would push MU to top of the standings and in a better position to earn a solid NCAA Tournament seed.
“One thing about the SEC season, once it starts, you have no time to reflect until the season is over. This gives you time to reflect, re-evaluate, make some adjustments here. Anything we can tweak before this stretch run, if we’re able to finish. Nowadays, it’s one game at a time.”