After losing in a blowout game against Alabama, there are still some positive signs coming from the team ahead of the Tigers’ next stretch of games.
Missouri men’s basketball is still reeling from a rough 85-64 loss against Alabama on Jan. 21, where the team shot an abysmal 10.7% from 3. While it was not a performance Tiger fans wanted to see, there is reason to believe it was not representative of what is to come for the rest of Missouri’s season. It is not time to panic just yet for head coach Dennis Gates’ squad — and here’s why:
1. Alabama is a legitimate contender
The dominance of the No. 4 ranked Crimson Tide was on full display against Missouri. The trio of freshman forward Brandon Miller — who has made himself known as one of the best players in the country — freshman forward Noah Clowney and junior guard Mark Sears combined for a shocking total of 49 points. Alabama is talented from top to bottom, coached by Nate Oats, who earned his first win at Mizzou Arena. While the Tigers would like to beat Alabama, going down to one of the best teams in college basketball is nothing to hang their heads about. Gates even credited the Crimson Tide after the game, referring to them as the “No. 1 team in the country.”
2. The Tigers were without Kobe Brown
After suffering an ankle injury during the Jan. 18 matchup against Arkansas, Gates made an “executive decision” not to play senior guard Kobe Brown against Alabama. It was the correct decision — keeping the senior’s health in mind — but losing Brown created a huge hole both offensively and defensively. Without his 15.7 points per game, the rest of the team is required to have larger roles, but unfortunately, they could not step up. If Brown had played, it would have been a much different game, but the Tigers will just have to live with that until a potential rematch in the Southeastern Conference Tournament or during March Madness.
3. The Tigers (likely) will not shoot that poorly again
As mentioned previously, Missouri’s shooting from 3 was atrocious against Alabama. While the team was finding many good looks, they could only get 3 out of 28 attempts to fall. This was unlike Missouri, as it still retained a good 3-point percentage after the game, at 33.3%. While Alabama’s defense has not been exceptional this season, they do have the third-best defense against the 3-point shot in the SEC, holding opponents to only 26.1% shooting. Missouri fans have to expect historically good shooters in graduate guard Nick Honor and senior guard D’Moi Hodge to get back on track soon.
4. Isiaih Mosley is here
The highly-touted transfer from Missouri State — senior guard Isiaih Mosley — has returned to full-time play for the Tigers, and is looking like the 20-or-more points-per-game scorer he was last season. Against the Crimson Tide, he scored 19 points on 9-18 shooting, and while he was only 1-8 from 3, he dominated in the mid-range and inside the paint. Mosley looked smooth getting to his spots, and noticeably took the lead in the absence of Kobe Brown, which shows he can be one of the leaders on the team. If Mosley continues to play well, he and Brown could be a dominant force in the SEC.
5. Upcoming schedule
While none of the teams the Tigers will face the rest of the season will present easy wins, the upcoming competition presents very winnable games. In order, Missouri will face LSU, Mississippi State and South Carolina, making up the bottom four in the SEC. Winning those games could get Missouri back into top-25 consideration and raise its seed ahead of the SEC tournament.
Edited by Matt Guzman | mguzman@themaneater.com