Missouri men’s basketball improved to 4-3 after defeating Paul Quinn 91-59 at Mizzou Arena Monday night. Here are the three takeaways from the Tigers fourth victory of the season.
Rebounding back on track
After getting outrebounded the last two games, Missouri got more aggressive on the boards as they recorded 49 rebounds and won the rebound battle by 13.
A big part of the Tigers success on the boards came from junior forward Kobe Brown who put up a career-high 23 rebounds as part of his double-double.
“They kept telling me how much more I needed and they just kept feeding it to me,” Brown said.
The Tigers also had some presence on the boards from sophomore forward Ronnie DeGray III who added eight and junior guard DaJuan Gordon with five.
By winning the rebounding battle on both the offensive and defensive side, it boosted more confidence in the Tigers going forward, especially their bigs as this is the fourth game where the Tigers outrebounded their opponent.
Defense showed signs of strength; still needs improvement
For the most part, the Tigers put forth a solid shift on defense Monday night.
Missouri’s half-court defense was impressive as it forced Paul Quinn to turn the ball over 19 times. The Tigers were also able to record 10 steals, which sometimes led to fast break points for Missouri to help put the game away after a slow start.
“Coach always said if I play defense and play hard, then I will be able to stay on the court,” junior guard Amari Davis said.
Paul Quinn still shot 39.0% from the field, which is something Missouri needs to lock in on come SEC play. The competition will only get harder, and if they keep allowing around 40% from the field, then they could find themselves in some trouble.
Three point shooting is still an issue
Missouri’s perimeter shooting remains a struggle after shooting 8-29 (27.6%) from the three-point line. Monday night’s contest also puts the Tigers three-point shooting at just 27.6% on the season, which puts Missouri last in the SEC.
Paul Quinn outshot Missouri from the perimeter by shooting 4-10 (40%), which is 12.4% higher than Missouri shot, one of the few statistical areas where Missouri didn’t hold the advantage.
The Tigers have turned to Davis, Gordon and redshirt junior Jarron Coleman — who have attempted the most 3’s on the team so far this season — but the Tigers will need more consistent production behind the arc from Brown. He has the highest 3-point shooting percentage (35.7%) out of the players who receive regular minutes, but he only has 14 attempts to his name this season.
Missouri’s three-point shooting has been a hindrance for the last couple years. Last season the Tigers shot 32% from three, and this season the percentage is lower. The SEC is a very talented conference with some high-scoring teams such as Kentucky and Alabama, and if Missouri wants to compete with those teams then the Tigers will have to figure out a way to knock down more 3-point shots.
Edited by Mason Arneson | marneson@themaneater.com