Mizzou Tigers men’s basketball season ends in SEC Tournament loss to LSU
The season is over for Missouri Tigers men’s basketball.
The 2021-22 campaign came to an ugly close as 12th-seeded Mizzou lost to fifth-seeded LSU 76-68 in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
The game was not nearly as close as that score suggests. Missouri trailed by as many as 25 points.
“I was happy to see the way that we kept fighting,” MU guard Javon Pickett said. “Guys was continuing to battle throughout the whole game. The second half towards the end you could just see the growth. A lot of guys were competing, and that just made me proud. Of course wanted to come out with a victory, but just to see guys continue to fight and not give up.”
This one was over just about as soon as it started as Missouri (12-21, 5-13 SEC) was rendered uncompetitive from the opening tip.
Turnovers were a big issue for Missouri when these teams faced less than two weeks ago; it turned the ball over 19 times, which led to 25 points for LSU. Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said limiting those mistakes would be a priority ahead of the second meeting — but things didn’t pan out that way.
“You have to be better with decision-making, taking care of the ball, and being strong with the ball,” Martin said. “That’s all.”
Missouri was completely stifled by its opponent’s defense. MU committed five turnovers and was in a double-digit deficit within the first few minutes. By the under-eight timeout, LSU had gone on a dominant 14-2 run to take a 30-8 lead.
“If you dig yourself in a hole against anybody like that,” Pickett said, “It’s going to be difficult to come back.”
Mizzou managed to string together a quick 9-0 run towards the end of the first half but trailed 39-23 at halftime after committing 15 turnovers, which led to 21 points for LSU.
MU had a 45-37 scoring edge in the second half as LSU relaxed up big, but it was too little, too late.
On the afternoon, Missouri was held to 23 of 54 (42%) shooting from the field. MU ended the contest with 24 turnovers, which resulted in 29 points for LSU.
“We have to be able to take pressure,” DaJuan Gordon said. “That’s all within us.”
Here are some key takeaways from the game.
Defense isn’t great either
It wasn’t just the offense that was bad for Missouri on Thursday; the team had a dismal performance on both ends of the floor.
Mizzou allowed LSU to shoot 28 of 50 (56%) from the field and score 42 points in the paint.
Five LSU players finished in double-digit scoring, led by 19 points from Tari Eason. Darius Days had 16 points and Efton Reid had 12 points, while Eric Gaines and Xavier Pinson each had 11 points.
How Mizzou fared against its former player
Since transferring to LSU prior to the 2021-22 season, former Mizzou guard Xavier Pinson has played a key role.
He averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game through the regular season. In the first matchup with Mizzou, he finished with 10 points, three assists and five turnovers.
“I thought the first time we played them he pressed a little bit early in the game,” LSU head coach Will Wade said. “I thought today he let it come to him a little bit more.”
Pinson made each of his first three shots from the field and was already up to nine points midway through the first half on Thursdsay.
“I thought X got off to a great start,” Wade said. “It’s good to have him hit a three. He won’t say it, but it does mean more to him when we play Missouri.”
The guard, who played in Columbia from 2018-21, finished with 11 points, five assists and four turnovers on Thursday.
The future for Cuonzo Martin
With the season officially over, the question now becomes whether athletics director Desiree Reed-Francois and the Missouri administration choose to retain Martin or move on.
In Martin’s five years leading the program, Mizzou has a 78-77 overall record, including a losing record in SEC regular season play at 35-53.
This season, which saw Missouri finish nine games below .500, was Martin’s worst with the program. He led the team to 20 wins in his first year in 2017-18, but hasn’t won a NCAA Tournament game.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 4:25 PM.
