How the Mizzou Tigers survived No. 19 Vanderbilt, keeping NCAA Tourney hopes alive

The Missouri Tigers needed to beat No. 19 Vanderbilt on Wednesday night.

But Mizzou saw a promising 21-point lead shrink to just one in the final second. Commodores guard Tyler Tanner was able to get off a halfcourt attempt at the buzzer ... but it was off the mark.

Somehow, despite the major swing in momentum, the Tigers held on and upset Vanderbilt 81-80 at Mizzou Arena.

Mizzou was successful early but faltered late before hanging on. Here are some positive and negative aspects of the Tigers’ victory.

Missouri’s 3-point prowess

The Tigers attempted just ten 3-pointers in their loss to Texas on Saturday. But things flipped Wednesday night: They had double the attempts and were rewarded for their efforts.

Mizzou shot 10-of-20 beyond the arc, good for 50%. The hosts spread the wealth from deep, with five different players hitting a 3-pointer against Vanderbilt.

The most prolific night from long range came from graduate guard Jayden Stone. The Perth, Australia native had a team-high 19 points. He finished 6-of-13 from the field (4-of-6 from deep) to give the Tigers a much-needed boost.

“I think it was a much more balanced stat line from everybody,” Stone said. “I think that works in our favor. Every game that we’ve played against a top-ranked team, we’ve had a really balanced stat line. So I think it really helped.”

Joining Stone in shooting well from 3-point range was sophomore guard T.O. Barrett. Barrett now has two made 3s in three SEC games after attempting three or fewer in the first 20 games of the season.

The Trent Burns breakout

Freshman center Trent Burns finished the night with just three points, but he was a true difference-maker for Mizzou in this upset.

Burns finished a game-high +19 in 18 minutes of playing time. For Mizzou coach Dennis Gates, this was a product of Burns’ preparation heading into such a crucial game.

“Our player of the game was Trent Burns,” Gates said. “I thought he did a tremendous job in practice, and what he did in practice showed up in the game.”

Burns used his 7-foot-5 frame to impose his will under the glass. He tied for game-high honors in rebounds with Vanderbilt’s Devin McGlockton — each had seven for his respective team. Burns also blocked a shot and picked up a single foul.

On a night when MU senior center Shawn Phillips Jr. committed four fouls, Burns’ presence off the bench brought new life to the Mizzou lineup.

“He’s (Burns) always even keel,” Stone said. “Never gets too high, never gets too low. And he just stayed ready, so it’s a credit to him.”

Breaking the press

Vanderbilt was able to cut such a massive deficit down to one point because Mizzou struggled to break the Commodores’ press.

The Tigers had a 21-point lead with 8:41 left; they turned the ball over seven times in the final 8:33.

“I mean, they sped us up,” Tigers junior forward Trent Pierce said. ... “I believe we didn’t make the right reads, at points. And so I think we said, ‘We just need to make the right reads,’ and we weren’t doing that.”

Mizzou’s Tournament hopes

Life on the bubble will continue to be a precarious situation for Mizzou. The Tigers are now 18-8, 8-5 in Southeastern Conference play.

With tiebreakers applied to the SEC standings, Mizzou now sits in sixth place, ahead of both Kentucky and Vandy.

Mizzou entered Wednesday at 65 in the NET rankings and was the first team in ESPN’s “first four out.” The Tigers will continue to look to their schedule down the stretch for opportunities to solidify their tournament status.

Missouri next takes the court against Arkansas at 3 p.m. Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Tilmon named to Team USA

Mizzou alum Jeremiah Tilmon was named to USA Basketball’s roster for its upcoming Men’s World Cup-qualifying games.

Tilmon played for the Tigers from 2017-20. He’s had several stops through the G-League and international leagues. He currently plays with the Milwaukee Bucks’ G-League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

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