Five numbers that stood out from Mizzou basketball’s dominant win vs. South Carolina
Is there a better way to bounce back from a road upset than with 101 points at home?
Coming off a disappointing trip to Fayetteville, the No. 14 Mizzou Tigers found their footing at Mizzou Arena with a 101-71 win over South Carolina.
The Tigers (21-7, 10-5 SEC) are now 18-1 at home this season, matching the program record for home wins from 2008-09. And they still have one more showing in front of the Mizzou faithful.
Here are some other statistics that stood out in MU’s rout of the Gamecocks…
- The Tigers are 11-0 when Caleb Grill scores at least 15 points. Sharpshooter Caleb Grill has been a weapon off the bench, and the Tigers have excelled when he’s able to get hot. Grill rebounded from a cold second half against Arkansas for 22 points against the Gamecocks on 9-of-11 shooting.
- An all-around team win. When speaking on the SEC Network postgame, Grill called the win a “team effort” ... and he was right. Six Tigers scored in double-figures (Grill, 22; Anthony Robinson, 14; Mark Mitchell and Tony Perkins, 13; Tamar Bates, 11; Jacob Crews, 10), most for MU in an SEC game this year.
- Mizzou posted historic efficiency for an SEC game. With a 63.3% shooting mark, the Tigers hit the second-highest shooting percentage in program history in SEC play, and the highest since (fittingly) a February 2013 matchup against South Carolina where they shot 69.6%.
- Cleaning up the turnovers. The Tigers uncharacteristically produced 18 turnovers against the Razorbacks last week, leading to 30 Arkansas points. Against the Gamecocks, Mizzou only had seven turnovers (and only one in the second half), which led to just eight South Carolina points.
- Mizzou still struggled to defend the paint. Grill was adamant that the Tigers still hadn’t played their best game yet in his postgame interview. One aspect that jumps out is paint protection. South Carolina stayed competitive in the paint with 42 points, and outscored the Tigers when it came to second-chance points at 20-11.
Maddie Hartley
The Kansas City Star