What we learned as Mizzou basketball coasts past South Carolina in second straight win
Missouri men’s basketball made its first five shots and never looked back, coasting to an 81-70 win over South Carolina on Tuesday in Mizzou Arena.
It was all Tigers (9-2, 3-2 SEC) from the beginning as they sprinted out to a 10-0 lead on just about a perfect effort. No. 19 Mizzou was forcing turnovers, hitting shots and feeding it inside to MU forward Jeremiah Tilmon.
The Gamecocks (3-4, 1-2) attempted to chip away at the lead, but the Tigers led the game wire-to-wire. It’s the second straight victory for Mizzou, both coming via blowouts.
“Good, tough win,” Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said. “All-around good team effort. It’s one of those games, cliché, but it’s one of those games where you gotta finish the game. Especially when they have five perimeter guys out there, making plays, attacking the rim.”
Mizzou’s offense was efficient, finishing with three players in double figures: Tilmon (19 points), Mark Smith (18) and Dru Smith (16). MU shot 28 for 48 (58.3%) from the field, along with 16 assists.
The Tigers are above the .500 mark in SEC play for the first time since the 2017-18 season, Martin’s first. They earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament that year after a 10-8 mark in the conference season.
South Carolina was led by forward Keyshawn Bryant, who scored 19 points. Their leading scorer coming into the game, AJ Lawson, finished with just five points.
“Get up and down the floor,” Martin said of the fast start. “Make plays. Get to the rim. Put pressure on them. Because the way they play, if you go east to west, it’ll be a long night. You gotta attack downhill against these guys because they’re so physical.”
Mizzou has a rematch against No. 6 Tennessee at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. The Tigers were shut down in a blowout 73-53 loss in the SEC opener Dec. 30.
Continued dominance
It’s been the Tilmon show ever since the Tigers have started playing SEC opponents. That continued Tuesday.
The Gamecocks had no answer for the 6-foot-10 forward, who is playing some of his best basketball. Tilmon finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the season and second straight. Even the foul trouble has all but disappeared.
He faced plenty of double teams Tuesday — even more defenders on some occasions — but that didn’t phase Tilmon, who finished with five dunks Tuesday.
Smith and Smith back
This is the Mark Smith the Tigers have been looking for since SEC play began. The senior guard had his moments in the nonconference, but his rhythm had been off since the schedule flipped.
Smith finished with 18 points Tuesday, finally finding his shooting stroke as he was 3 for 7 from three. He wasn’t the only one who looked comfortable as fellow guard Dru Smith has looked rejuvenated the past two games. He had 16 points on 5 for 6 shooting from the field, coupled with four rebounds and three assists.
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 8:12 PM.