Mizzou Tigers are capable of making NCAA Tournament run. But these stats seem key
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mizzou needs steady offense, rebounding, and free-throw production.
- Team shoots efficiently overall but ranks low in offensive and defensive rebounds.
- Mitchell's big games and Stone/Pierce returning healthy have boosted the team.
For Missouri to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers men’s basketball team will need steady offensive output.
Head coach Dennis Gates preaches the principles of rebounding and getting to the free-throw line. And some important statistics back up his approach.
Mizzou ranks in the top 100 nationally for free throws attempted (38th in Division I) and free throws made (77th). But the Tigers lag in rebounding, ranking 110th in offensive rebounds per game and 214th in defensive rebounds per game.
Those underlying stats can always make the difference in a game. The Tigers have experienced as much firsthand this season and know metrics like the following will help determine whether they’ll make a March run as a No. 10 seed.
- Mizzou is 20-2 when scoring at least 73 points (19-1 in regulation). The Tigers are 0-10 when scoring fewer.
- Mizzou typically shoots 9.4% better from the field and 8.5% better from 3-point range than its opponents — when the Tigers win.
- In the past two seasons, Missouri is 43-2 when shooting 50% or better from the floor — including 25-1 since the start of last season.
The Tigers, of course, face No. 7 seed Miami in St. Louis on Friday at 9:10 p.m. Central Time (TruTV). Ahead of that opening matchup, Mizzou‘s shooting efficiency has been evident: MU ranks 22nd nationally in field-goal percentage, 36th in effective field-goal percentage and 38th in 2-point percentage.
The Tigers have faltered from the 3-point line, however, ranking 119th as a team in that category. Any squad planning an NCAA tourney run needs heroic efforts from individual players, and that will certainly be required of MU, too.
Leading scorer Mark Mitchell, a Kansas City, Kansas native, has scored 32 points in his last two games. That’s a first for the Missouri program since 1987-88. Double-digit scorers Jayden Stone and Trent Pierce have also come into their own down the stretch since returning from injuries
Gates knew that keeping his team healthy in the latter part of the season would help conserve the strength of Mizzou’s eight-man rotation. He’s encouraged to have seen his team grow and believes the Tigers’ peak is still ahead.
“We’ve been able to close out and seal some possessions. But we have to continue to rebound. We have to continue to fight through the physicality ...” Gates said recently. “We have to continue to make some free throws and I think that will continue to help us.”
