Missouri’s Amari Davis, right, tries to shoot around Utah’s Marco Anthony during the game on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Davis scored 17 points during the game, second only to Kevin Brown’s 27.
Missouri men’s basketball traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Wednesday looking to build off its momentum after stunning the No.15 Alabama Crimson Tide on Jan. 8. The Tigers weren’t able to keep things rolling on Jan.12, suffering a blowout to Arkansas 87-43.
Missouri’s defense had a sluggish start, forcing Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin to call a timeout just a minute and a half into the game, trailing 7-0.
“We just have to come out aggressive,” senior guard Javon Pickett said. “We have to stick to our game plan and we have to play together throughout the whole game.”
However, Missouri couldn’t figure out how to stop the Razorbacks, who shot 50% from the field, including 49 points in the first half.
The star for the Razorbacks in this contest was senior guard JD Notae. He shined with quick handle and deep range shooting, finishing the game with 19 points and 2 assists.
The Tigers also struggled on the offensive end throughout the night. Missouri ended the game shooting 29.2% alongside a season-low 23 turnovers.
“We weren’t as aggressive — settling for shots, not attacking the rim — and I thought that sometimes we tried to drive when there was a shot that presented itself,” Martin said.
Junior forward Kobe Brown, who has been the most impactful player for the Tigers this season, had a quiet night, finishing with 6 points and 6 rebounds.
“One thing I told him is [to] allow the game to come to you,” Martin said. “When he tried to be aggressive and scoring, they were hovering around him, so I just told him to be aggressive but allow it to come to him.”
Arkansas also beat Missouri in the rebound battle, which is usually one of the Tigers’ strong suits. The Razorbacks outrebounded the Tigers 39-31, leading to 20 second-chance points for Arkansas.
Despite a disappointing Missouri performance, redshirt junior guard Jarron Coleman continues to provide a spark for the Tigers, recording 11 points and 3 assists. Along with Coleman, freshman forward Trevon Brazile flashed potential, grabbing 8 rebounds and ending the first half with a chasedown block on Arkansas sophomore forward Jaylin Williams.
Missouri fell to 7-8 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Edited by Brandon Haynes | bhaynes@themaneater.com