Why Mizzou basketball doesn’t need extra motivation in rematch against Tennessee
Missouri men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin has seen enough of the Tigers’ film against Tennessee. The end result — a 73-53 blowout MU loss — still confounds him.
Whenever he was asked about that game Friday, a smile appears partly because it was such an aberration in the grand scheme of the season. It was just one game, he said, adding his experienced roster knows one data point doesn’t define an entire body of work.
But still, the Vols beat up the Tigers. What was billed then as a top-15 matchup at Mizzou Arena unraveled. Tennessee ran out to an early lead and was dominant from there, handing MU its first loss of the season.
That’s in the past. And No. 19 Mizzou (9-2, 3-2 SEC) gets a chance for some revenge against No. 6 Tennessee. The teams meet for the second time this season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.
“They set a tone and we didn’t bounce back,” Martin said. “We know we’re a better team than what we showed. It’s our job to prove it Saturday night.”
The significance of the game isn’t lost on the Tigers, Martin said. There’s no need for added motivation either: A loss goes on the record all the same.
Martin said he doesn’t care if they lose at the buzzer or if it’s by 20 points, which is exactly what the Vols did. The loss itself should signify the Tigers need to find their own self-motivation, he said.
“You identify what needs to be identified then you go from there,” Martin said. “But if I have to give extra motivation to guys because they lost, then they’re probably in the wrong program.”
Mizzou has navigated a somewhat strange season, and not just because of the pandemic. The Tigers have pointed to faulty halves of basketball that have soured their season. The second half of Mississippi State — along with the entire Tennessee game — provides sources of confusion for some on the team.
In between games has also been sandwiched by a 10-day COVID-19 pause. A positive test within the program halted team activities, forcing the Tigers to postpone two games.
Mizzou responded to the early-season struggles. They blew out their past two opponents, South Carolina and Texas A&M. The rest of the SEC schedule is still ahead of them as they’re firmly in the NCAA Tournament conversation.
“Our goal, obviously, is to win conference and the national championship,” MU guard Xavier Pinson said. “The way we’ve been going about it, we’re not trying to say it or say, ‘We’re trying to win this.’ We’re just showing it right now. We’re trying to perfect everything. We’re trying to take it one day at a time.”
The Vols (10-2, 4-2) have endured their own inconsistencies. They dropped their first game to No. 18 Alabama as the Tide went on a three-point shooting tear. Tennessee was also beat down by Florida in a 75-49 loss last time out.
The Tigers get the perfect opportunity to build off the past few weeks since the Tennessee game. MU guard Mark Smith pointed out how the Vols did whatever they wanted to, including out-rebounding and out-toughing the Tigers.
That’s the opposite of how Martin has built his program, which starts on the defensive end. That’s “not our DNA,” Smith added, which is why they’re eager to get back on the court to right their mistakes.
“We know we can play with them,” Smith said. “I feel like we can play with anybody in the country like coach tells us. We’re going out there trying to win and going in there ready to box, like coach always tells us.”