Texas A&M blows out Mizzou in basketball. What happened to the Tigers?

The 20th-ranked Missouri men’s basketball team’s attempt to improve to 3-1 in SEC play was foiled Wednesday night at Texas A&M.

The Aggies rode a dominant first half to an 82-64 victory, handing the Tigers their third loss of the season, their second in conference. Kobe Brown led the Tigers with 12 points, with D’Moi Hodge and DeAndre Gholston each chipping in 10. Tyrese Radford scored 16 to lead the Aggies.

Here’s what to know from Wednesday’s loss in College Station.

Bad start

Kobe Brown started hot for Missouri. The senior forward had 10 points and two rebounds before the under-16 timeout in the first half.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, nobody else did. Until D’Moi Hodge managed to hit a free throw with 7:24 remaining in the first half, Brown and DeAndre Gholston were the only members of coach Dennis Gates’ squad who had scored a point.

“I don’t know if there’s a clear answer to why we didn’t have as much energy until later in the game,” Brown said. “I don’t know. But I know we gotta fix it next game. Can’t let it happen again.”

At the under-12 timeout, the Tigers had a 14-13 lead off the strength of Brown’s performance. By the under-eight, things had gone horribly awry and Texas A&M led 24-14.

Things didn’t get better from there. By the under-four timeout, the Aggies were on a 21-2 run.

They led 43-25 at halftime. A&M was able to fully dominate MU, knocking the Tigers out of anything they normally excel at.

It was Missouri’s lowest-scoring first half of the season. The Tigers, who had been shooting around 50% from the field coming in, hit just 7 of 23 shots during the first 20 minutes.

“I thought Texas A&M did a good job contesting shots, but we’ve had guys make those shots,” Gates said. “We ended up 7-for-31 from the three-point line.”

MU’s normal issues showed up in the first half as well. Brown got into foul trouble and spent time on the bench.

The Missouri rebounding was also a problem spot. The Tigers got doubled up on the boards 24-12 in the first half.

“We just didn’t convert in those areas,” Gates said. “If we would have shot a normal percentage, that number would have been completely different.”

Brief resurgence

The Tigers’ poor offensive performance continued to hamstring Missouri in the second half. The offense that Gates’ team prefers requires the Tigers to make shots when presented with the opportunity.

The Tigers simply didn’t.

In the second half, Texas A&M struggled, too. The Aggies came out of the locker room atrocious, missing shots and looking lifeless on offense. The Tigers were unable to take full advantage, as their poor shooting continued, but they did draw close.

With 11:14 left in the game, Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor elbowed Missouri’s Nick Honor, resulting in a flagrant foul. Honor hit both free throws, and then D’Moi Hodge made a three to make it a seven-point game.

“Once we were able to reset at the half, our guys came out, we were able to fly around a little bit,” Gates said. “We saw the ball go in.”

Eventually, Missouri cut the Aggies’ lead to four. Unfortunately for the Tigers, foul trouble and a Texas A&M resurgence doomed MU.

The Aggies ended the game having made 53% of their field goals. They also hit 10 of 23 three-pointers, led by Hayden Hefner, Wade Taylor IV and Dennis Dexter, who made three each from downtown.

“I credit (A&M head coach) Buzz Williams and his team,” Gates said. “They were definitely a tough match.”

Foul play

All year long, Brown has had trouble with fouls. Wednesday was no different for the forward from Alabama, who spent time on the bench in the first half after picking up his second.

After the halftime break, Brown got his third and fourth in short order. On the fourth foul, Brown failed to box out for a rebound far from the basket.

The Tigers have generally been able to survive when Brown’s the only player in foul trouble. Unfortunately for them, that wasn’t the case against Texas A&M.

Guard D’Moi Hodge had foul issues for the first time this season. He fouled out with more than five minutes remaining, robbing MU of one of its top offensive threats.

“They’re the gatekeepers of the game,” Gates said. “If that’s what they see, call it. We’ll have to reevaluate what we see, but positioning in that second half when we cut it by four, I thought I should have called a timeout to reset our mentality and get more in a preventative stance versus just continuing to be as aggressive as we were.”

Other Tigers with foul issues included Noah Carter, who had four, and Tre Gomillion, with three. Texas A&M shot 32 free throws, hitting 24.

The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday, still on the road, against Florida. That game is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. tip and will be aired on SEC Network.

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.

This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 10:32 PM with the headline "Texas A&M blows out Mizzou in basketball. What happened to the Tigers?."