Mizzou Basketball Prepares for Huge Road Test at Auburn

Mizzou hoops is on a roll after their second buzzer-beating shot of the season securing a win against then No. 6 Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday.

The identity of this team is a throw-back to a time when Mizzou 3-point shooting supremecy lied in the hands of names like Booker, Atkins and O’Liney. But unlike their 90’s predacessor, what they lack in height, they make up for in defense and hustle. Their turnover margin is well documented. They simply find ways to win.

Rolling in to Auburn, Alabama on Valentine’s Day evening won’t be a love affair, it’ll be a battle of two teams aiming for a first round bye in the SEC Tournament in March.

Finishing in fourth position or higher in the SEC would allow Mizzou to skip the first round of games on Thursday March 9, allowing them to play against the winner of one of those games on Friday March 10.

As of Tuesday morning, a lot of excitement was already generated on Twitter by Mizzou fans. Auburn fans weren’t discussing the game as much. Will this translate into the atmosphere on the court for Mizzou’s benefit tonight? Stick with the Mizzou Report for updates prior to the game.

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Tigers to Host South Carolina Gamecocks at Mizzou Arena

The Missouri Tigers basketball team will continue SEC play when they host the South Carolina Gamecocks at 8:00pm Mizzou Time at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

Missouri head coach Dennis Gates will be going for his 18th win in 24 games in his first season as coach of Mizzou. That would equal the full season win totals in the first years of both Quin Snyder and Mike Anderson, respectively.

Follow the @Mizzou_Report on Twitter for updates on the game.

Mizzou Scores Opening Night Win Against Chippewas

(COLUMBIA, Mo)—The Missouri Tigers took the court with a guarded optimism upon hearing that three of their players would be held out for various reasons. Their worries melted away, mostly late in the second half, as the Tigers outlasted the Chippewas of Central Michigan 78-68 on Tuesday evening.

Five Tigers were into double figures on points as Mizzou was able to overcome an early run by the Chippewas that saw Mizzou down for several minutes.

The Tigers fought back with a bevy of three-point shots that were reminiscent of a Melvin Booker/Mark Atkins team. Their efforts were rewarded with an opening night victory.

One of the standout elements of the evening was the raucous student section at Mizzou Arena. SEC Network play-by-play man Ben Arnet noted on several occasions that the Mizzou student section was instrumental in assisting the Tiger team.

The Mizzou basketball team takes the court again on Monday November 15 when they host the University of Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos. Tip-time is set for 7:00pm CST.

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Obnoxious Analysis: Tigers Attack Basket, Change Fortune vs. Georgia

The Missouri Tigers had their hands full Tuesday night. Not only were they getting beat by a lackluster team they were favored to beat at home, but the team now had the restless fan base to deal with, who were already filing out of Mizzou Arena.

They knew it was coming, the criticism. They could feel it. Players aren’t blind to what their perception is, despite the fact they seldom acknowledge it.

Not again. Another loss. There’s going to be more criticism of coach Cuonzo Martin, they’re going to say the players gave up, they’re going to pick the team apart.

But then slowly, and with precision, Xavier Pinson began to hit small shots and get to the foul line. Big man Reed Nikko was able to establish a presence inside in the continued absence of Jeremiah Tilmon, and played what many local journalists referred to as the best game of his career.

Dru Smith’s 16 points were essential as well, and his chemistry with Pinson during the second half comeback was butter. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to enable the comeback.

Defense was a key, as Mizzou had essentially allowed Georgia Bulldogs standout Anthony Edwards to have a pro-day exhibition up to that point. On draft day, when Edwards easily goes in the top-5, you’ll likely see highlights from this game at some point. But the Tigers were able to contain Edwards in a team effort, while Georgia wasn’t able to supply an answer from someone else.

But perhaps the happiest person was Coach Martin. You could tell from the tone in his voice and the words he used that the relief he’s feeling will allow him to have a much better night of sleep than he’s been getting lately. He was happy for his players that succeeded, and happy he didn’t have to go into a defensive mode to start his press conference.

It was a feel-good night all around.

The big positive in this is that Mizzou was able to win this game after abandoning what is perceived to be their primary strength, the three-point shot. Granted that Reed Nikko will not be able to win every game for Mizzou simply by taking the ball to the hoop, but with Jeremiah Tilmon expected to return this Saturday at South Carolina, there may be a new dynamic approach to the Tigers’ offense.

Relying on the three-point shot is like taking a gamble. But being able to have two legitimate threats to keep defenses guessing, might help open up the three a little bit more.

We’ll see how this game plan plays out against the Gamecocks, game time is 2:30pm Mizzou Time on SEC Network.

Obnoxious Mizzou Fan is 3-0 as a backyard wrestler. Follow him on Twitter.

Comeback City: Xavier Pinson and Reed Nikko Lead 20-Point Mizzou Comeback

Mizzou was able to shake the ugly identity that’s usually associated with close games, at least since the Kim Anderson-era. It was an epic comeback that hasn’t been seen in Columbia in quite some time.

The Tigers started well, but then found themselves down by as many as 18 points in the first half before closing the break trailing 42-30 against one of the worst teams in the SEC in the Georgia Bulldogs.

Mizzou went down by 20 points with around 13 minutes remaining in the game. But, the play of Xavier Pinson and Reed Nikko got the Tigers back into the game. Pinson’s free throw shooting and field goals helped enable the comeback.

The play of Nikko down the stretch helped establish a more physical game to a winded Georgia team.

Dru Smith also had 16 points.

The Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak, winning four of their last five games against Georgia.

Mark Smith sat on the bench during the whole second half with an injury that looked painful.

Mizzou next plays this Saturday at South Carolina on SEC Network. Tip-off time is set for 2:30pm Mizzou Time.

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Halftime: Tigers Getting Smoked at Home by SEC Lightweight Georgia

In what started out as a solid effort and a back and forth contest has turned into a skill show for Georgia Bulldog’s Anthony Edwards, 14 points and 5 rebounds.

Mizzou trailed at one point by 18, but now suffers a 12-point deficit 42-30 at halftime.

Rapid Reaction: Mizzou Taking Advantage of Mountaineer Mistakes

The Tigers are playing at a higher level since about halfway through the first half, but West Virginia has been courteous in handing Mizzou several turnovers and performing poorly from the free throw line.

This game hinges on foul trouble. If some of West Virginia’s forwards start finding their way to the bench, Mizzou has a real chance of pulling off a shocker in Morgantown.

Halftime: A Half of Two Halves, the Mizzou Way

Forget those guys who were too timid to pull the trigger and find their comfort zones, and it started with a huge three-point-shot by Torrence Watson on the baseline. Taking the lead isn’t going to be essential right now, just staying in the game and allowing the hot shooting to potentially continue in the second half is going to be the recipe.

Amazing that it’s been the transition play, this could be the Florida game all over again.

Rapid Reaction: Mizzou Playing Timid, Not Shooting 3-Point Well

Just after midway through the first half, Mizzou is looking about how we thought they would, but unfortunately aren’t materializing from behind the arc. In fact they are currently shooting 2-for-18 from the field.

It’s going to take near divine intervention at this point.

Preview: Mizzou Basketball Travels to Morgantown to Take on West Virginia

Take that image you had at the beginning of the season out of your head. Seeing the West Virginia game on the slate brought a guarded optimism that Mizzou could pull out a win against a relatively consistent program.

Come Gameday however, it doesn’t have the same fuzzy feeling we were all hoping. Mizzou moral is low, but there is a silver lining to all of this, in that the Tigers would have a lot to gain from what is now a ranked West Virginia team.

The important thing to remember while the Tigers seem to be in a free-fall is that this isn’t a Kim Anderson squad. These teams aren’t losing games they should be in by 20, 30 points. I remain absolutely resolute in my stance that this team is talented enough to play with the majority of the SEC, they’ve just happen to lose a lot of games.

The scouting report on the Mountaineers is pretty intimidating given the Tigers recent weaknesses. Success begins and ends with two of their forwards, Oscar Tshiebwe and Derek Culver, both of which nearly average a double-double every game. Tshiebwe is 6’9″ and listed at 258, while Culver is only 6’10” and weighs in at 255.

One of their primary three-point threats is a freshman they’re big on, Miles McBride. He’s currently better than 40 percent from 3-point range on the season. Over the last three games, shooting percentages have been 71, 73 and 57. So if you plan on somehow establishing a physical game, you’re going to have to contend with McBride on the outside.

So is there a hope? There is if Mizzou can meet three major criteria, and they will probably have to pull every one of them off to even have a chance.

One, shoot lights out from three. We will have to have another “Florida game” from behind the arc to be able to stay level.

Secondly, we’ll need to continue the absolutely red hot pace from behind the line. We need to get to the line often, hopefully establish foul trouble for their forwards, and keep netting free throws.

Finally, and yes I mean this, something is going to have to happen that takes one of their players out of the game. Whether it’s a freak illness, or somebody accidentally pulling a muscle in warmups, Mizzou will also need the benefit of some freak bad luck.

The odds aren’t good, but that’s why they play the game. West Virginia has an excellent coach in Bob Huggins and a bench of very big, talented guys. The Tigers have leadership and talent as well, it’s just going to take every bit of it for Mizzou to come out with a victory on Saturday.

Obnoxious Mizzou Fan can cook things but sometimes prefers cheese and unwarmed bread. Follow him on Twitter.