The seemingly never-ending losing streak continued for Missouri men’s basketball, as the Tigers fell on the road at Florida on Feb. 28 and back at home Mar. 2 against Ole Miss. 

As most games this season have been, both losses were close: 83-74 to the Gators and 84-78 to the Rebels. Missouri was within one possession of their opponent in the second half of both games, but were unable to earn their first conference win in either contest. 
The Tigers now find themselves two losses away from a dreaded winless conference season, with their last two opportunities for a victory coming against Auburn and LSU.

Sean East II’s individual brilliance shouldn’t be lost in the lack of team success

“East is one of the best players in college basketball,” Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said after the Ole Miss game. “There’s a lot of guys that can have a 30-point game, but he does it on 12 shots.” 

It’s hard to argue with Beard’s assessment of the graduate guard. In the five games since his two-game hiatus, East is averaging 25.8 points per game. He is doing so at an incredibly efficient rate, as he shot 9/16 from the field against Florida and 10/12 against Ole Miss. 

East has become a prominent name in the individual SEC leaderboards. He is fifth in points per game, seventh in assists per game and fourth in field goal percentage. He carries an extreme workload as well, as he is second in the conference in minutes per game. 

The scoring output that East has provided his team with is one that Missouri hasn’t seen in a decade. His 17.5 points per game are the highest by a Tiger since 2013-14, when junior Jabari Brown poured in 19.9 points a game. 

While this season has been a disappointment for MU, East’s performances still deserve to be recognized among the best players in the country.  

Aidan Shaw’s potential is still something to be excited about

Sophomore Aidan Shaw has had a rather forgettable second season in Columbia. His scoring has increased less than a point per game despite playing five more minutes a game than his freshman season, and his shooting both from the free-throw line and three-point range has regressed. 

But against Ole Miss, the former four-star recruit reminded fans of the potential that was seen in him when he arrived on campus last season. 

Shaw’s athleticism was the most highly-touted aspect of his game coming out of high school, and it was on display from the first basket against Ole Miss. Shaw got ahead of the pack in transition and was fed by junior Tamar Bates, leading to a thunderous tomahawk slam that got Mizzou Arena on their feet early. 

His leaping ability was on display once again in the second half, when he skied above Rebel defenders to catch a lob from graduate Nick Honor on a pick-and-roll. When the final buzzer sounded, Shaw had recorded his best game as a Tiger. He scored 12 points, his second-highest total in his career, to go along with a career-high in rebounds. 

“You saw a glimpse of Aidan Shaw especially on that fast-break,” Missouri head coach Dennis Gates said. “What I’m happy to see is nine rebounds, he was able to get around the basket and use his athleticism.”

If Shaw can bring out this version of himself on a more consistent basis next season, he will be in for a break-out season. 

This team refuses to quit

In a season full of bad halves, the first half against Ole Miss was one of Missouri’s worst. 

East scored 13 points on 5/7 shooting, but the rest of the Tigers were 4/17 from the field and scored just 13 points. The team went into the locker room trailing by 19 and had very little to build on going into the second half. 

But even with every reason to phone it in during the second half and accept defeat, Missouri came out of the break swinging. The Tigers were on fire from the field shooting 69%, and won the second half 52-39. While winning a half won’t be remembered in the grand scheme of things, it speaks tremendously to the culture that Gates is creating in Columbia. With their backs against the wall, this team simply refuses to back down. 

Edited by Grace Ainger | gainger@themaneater.com 

Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com 

Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com