Mizzou Tigers’ Martin gets creative with personnel, but Arkansas still wins in OT
.JPG "Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin calls for a substitution during the first half of the game against Arkansas Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, in Columbia, Mo.")
On just about every possession, Missouri men’s basketball threw all it had on Arkansas 7-foot-3 forward Connor Vanover. Saturday’s game started with the 6-foot-7 Kobe Brown marking him, then because of external factors, saw a mix of 6-5 Torrence Watson, 6-5 Mark Smith and other shorter players on the Razorbacks’ big man.
That was by design, MU coach Cuonzo Martin said. Because Vanover isn’t a traditional big and plays more on the perimeter as a shooter, the Tigers could afford to put a smaller player on him without losing much of an edge on rebounds.
But the revolving door of defenders on Vanover was a microcosm of Mizzou’s play and roster Saturday in an 86-81 overtime home loss to the Hogs. The Tigers were missing starting forward Jeremiah Tilmon, who was unavailable for the game because of a death in his family.
Despite the circumstances, the No. 10-ranked Tigers (13-5, 6-5 SEC) patched together a spirited effort without Tilmon. Watson’s shooting and MU forward Parker Braun’s emergence down the stretch boosted the Tigers and forced overtime. But it was the Hogs (16-5, 8-4) proving victorious after the extra period, handing Mizzou its first losing streak of the season.
“Hate to lose ball games,” Martin said. “Especially when you know how much your guys put into it going into it. But I’m really proud of the effort. How they fought.”
Tilmon’s absence affected just about every corner of the Mizzou roster. The big man is crucial to how the Tigers operate inside the paint, and without him, Watson said it allowed the Hogs extra comfort on both ends of the court.
Mizzou’s big man depth was also pressured as the game went on. Forward Mitchell Smith fouled out, and Brown dealt with a cramp, limiting his minutes. It’s how Braun got pushed into action, playing a season-high 26 minutes. He made his presence known, willing the Tigers to overtime by hitting the game-tying layup and making a crucial block.
“We always want Tilly out there,” Braun said. “We know he wanted to be there tonight. But we always have that next man up mentality. If it’s me, if it’s Jordan (Wilmore), if it’s Mitch — whoever it is, we all gotta be ready to step up and try to bring to the table what he does.”
Parts of Mizzou’s offense were also altered without its bruising, physical big man. The Tigers shot threes in droves Saturday and found some unlikely heroes to keep the game close. Mitchell Smith made a couple threes at the start of the game; MU guard Drew Buggs hit his first three in a Mizzou uniform.
Perhaps most notable was Watson, who hit a season-high three three-pointers. Watson, who’s struggled to consistently crack the rotation, said he hopes to use Saturday’s game as a springboard and as a confidence boost.
Mizzou as a team was unafraid to shoot and make threes. The Tigers had season-highs in three-pointers made and three-pointers attempted. Mizzou guard Xavier Pinson scored 23 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting, while guard Dru Smith had 15 points, four rebounds and seven assists.
The Tigers relied on the long ball throughout regulation, but MU switched it up during overtime. The Tigers shot 6 for 9 on free throws in the extra period alone, though it wasn’t enough to overcome Arkansas.
“This is kind of what I thought we’d be able to shoot the ball as a team,” Martin said. “We got guys that can make shots. The comfort, relaxing, shooting game rep shots in practice. Not surprised with that, but it’s also good shots.”
Martin said he doesn’t know if and when Tilmon will be back. The Tigers travel to Georgia for a 5:30 p.m. Tuesday game in Athens, Georgia. Mizzou dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season.
“Today, we saw a lot of fight out of our team, out of Mizzou,” Watson said. “We had lineups that are not usually out there; missing (Tilmon). Just down the stretch, keeping our composure I think we did a really good job. Especially forcing it into OT.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2021 at 7:36 PM.