Mizzou basketball’s defense showed up on Sunday. The Tigers are hoping for an encore
Missouri had won its first two men’s basketball games, but the defense was lacking. The Tigers had surrendered 91 and 85 points and opponents had made half of their three-pointers.
That changed in the third game, an 82-53 victory over Lindenwood. Mizzou surrendered only 21 percent from beyond the arc — and now looks to take that approach into the next game on Tuesday against SIU-Edwardsville.
“You have to have the energy, the enthusiasm and the effort related to playing at a high level,” coach Dennis Gates said after Sunday’s victory.
Steals from Kobe Brown and Tre Gomillion before the first media timeout turned into transition baskets. The Tigers scored 20 points off turnovers.
“The key is our depth,” Gates said. “Being able to play to exhaustion is a very important thing when you have guys on the court at all the times playing as hard as they have. That’s a special thing.”
Missouri dominated its second opponent from the Ohio Valley Conference and takes on a third in SIU Edwardsville, which is 1-1 and coming off an 81-76 loss to Purdue-Fort Wayne.
The soft schedule works for this Mizzou team operating with a new coaching staff and three returning players.
Eight of the Tigers’ 12 games before the SEC opener in late December are against teams from conferences that received one bid to last season’s NCAA Tournament.
That should allow the Tigers to work on confidence and cohesion. Missouri’s three opponents after Tuesday are Mississippi Valley State, Coastal Carolina and Houston Christian, all coming before the first road game at Wichita State.
Starting with the Dec. 10 home game against Kansas, Missouri will face four ranked teams in five games. Those tests will take the Tigers into SEC play, where a tough conference slate awaits.
The details
Missouri (3-0) vs. SIU-Edwardsville (1-1)
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Mizzou Arena
TV: SEC Network + (streaming)
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)