Missouri Tigers beat Wichita State Shockers in basketball at Mizzou Arena: takeaways

The University of Missouri men’s basketball won its fourth straight game on Sunday afternoon, beating Wichita State 82-72 at Mizzou Arena.

The Shockers, after trailing by double-digits multiple times, got within two points with four minutes remaining.

But 3-pointers from Wichita native Caleb Grill 3 and Sean East II, who finished with a game-high 22 points, helped stave off a potential upset.

Here are three takeaways from the game at Norm Stewart Court:

Like MU of old (in a good way)

Missouri ripped off a 10-0 run to open the game, but Wichita State whittled that advantage to just two points with six minutes remaining until halftime.

But the Tigers would succeed in keeping the Shockers at bay.

On a day MU learned it was going to the Cotton Bowl in football, Tamar Bates read a pass at midcourt like a defensive back, picking it off and darting to the basket for a one-handed slam that brought the arena to its feet.

That steal and jam put Missouri up 11 with 18 minutes left. The Shockers continued to hang around but could never catch their hosts.

Sunday’s showing by the Tigers looked more like the MU we saw in 2022-23. Freshman Anthony Robinson II also had a steal and fast-break layup to give Mizzou a 41-34 lead at the break.

“Credit Wichita State,” MU coach Dennis Gates said. “They did not give up. They kept battling, making runs throughout the game.

“But every time there was a run, I thought our players responded with a big-time play. And I believe it was 3s that allowed us to open the lead.”

The Tigers found space behind the arc and made it count. Before the break, Grill dropped in a deep 3-pointer. He’d finish with 13 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds (more on that in a minute).

Nick Honor sandwiched Grill’s 3-pointers with two wide-open treys. And MU got to the line: Noah Carter attacked the paint and drew a shooting foul for the first points of the second half.

Carter sank both shots at the line; MU had made all 12 of its free throws to that point.

Same starting five

If it ain’t broken, right?

Mizzou went with the same starting five that Gates used in a recent road victory at Pittsburgh.

Said Gates: “I just kept the camaraderie of what we did last game ... and we got off to a great start.”

Aidan Shaw and Bates were on the court from the outset. Shaw made an impact in the opening period, grabbing four rebounds and dishing two assists before heading to the bench with two early fouls.

Bates had a pair of steals in the game’s first three minutes but didn’t score in the first half, spending just seven minutes on the court.

Whether this will be the Tigers’ starting lineup moving forward, starting with Kansas in a Border War game next Saturday in Lawrence, remains to be seen.

Vanover, Grill shine off the bench

Not starting worked out fine for a couple of players on the Missouri bench: Grill and big man Connor Vanover.

Vanover played perhaps his best half as a Tiger. The 7-foot-5 Oral Roberts transfer, whom Gates has challenged to show him more, was 3-of-4 from the field. He even hit a second-half 3-pointer from the wing.

Vanover also made all four of his shots from the free-throw line in an 11-point outing.

Grill, meanwhile, looked like the player Tigers fans expected when he transferred to Columbia. He was the only Missouri player with double-figure boards on Sunday, grabbing 10 as the Shockers outrebounded MU 48-32.

“Caleb was our best rebounder,” Gates said, “so I wanted Caleb in the game. Because not only was he a great rebounder, he defended in the right spot and he was able to get down and run down some plays or loose balls that I thought were in our favor.”

Grill, new to MU this season, is starting to get acclimated as a player who can score, defend and always plays with emotion.

“I think it took a couple games to get adjusted,” Grill said, “but now I feel comfortable with what’s going on.”

Guard Colby Rogers led Wichita State in scoring with 17 points, while Harlond Beverly scored 12 points and pulled down a whopping 17 rebounds for the Shockers.

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

This story was originally published December 3, 2023 at 4:21 PM.