Tigers finish the year 21-10, 10-8 in conference play
Missouri men’s basketball wrapped up its regular season with a two-game week starting on the road against Oklahoma on March 5 and then back at home against No. 19 Kentucky on March 8. It was a week of struggles for the Tigers, who lost both games by a margin of 20 points.
Struggles from the free throw line
In both games, Missouri attempted fewer free throws than its opponents and converted on a lower percentage from the free-throw line as well. Missouri has excelled at getting to the line, as they average 27 free-throw attempts per game this season. However, in the final regular season games they were under that average with 24 attempts against Oklahoma and 21 attempts against Kentucky.
Sophomore guard Anthony Robinson II had a tough time in these two games, as he collected a measly four points on 2-for-10 from the field. Robinson II has averaged 4.2 free-throw attempts per game, but in this stretch of games, Robinson did not attempt a single free throw.
Mitchell and Warrick shine despite losses
Against both Oklahoma and Kentucky, junior forward Mark Mitchell led the team in points with 18 against the Sooners and 22 against the Wildcats. Mitchell did so on efficient splits, going 15-for-22 from the field, 8-for-12 from the free-throw line and even 2-for-2 from three on the week.
Graduate guard Marques Warrick was the second-highest scorer for Missouri this week, as he collected 10 points in the loss to Oklahoma and 17 against Kentucky in his final home game. Warrick was efficient from three as he went 5-for-11 on the week.
Slow out of the gate
Missouri struggled to perform well in the first half, as they were outscored noticeably by Oklahoma and Kentucky. Missouri went down 50-37 to Oklahoma in the first half and then 38-29 against Kentucky. Alternatively, the Tigers outscored Oklahoma 47-46 in the second half. They did the same to Kentucky with a score of 54-53.
Part of the first-half struggles Missouri experienced in both games was due to poor shooting from 3-point land. Against Oklahoma, Missouri shot 29% from three in the first half, and that number worsened against Kentucky, as the Tigers went 23% from three in the opening half.
Missouri began Conference Tournament play at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 13 in Nashville where they defeated Mississippi State 85-73.
Edited by Colin Simmons | csimmons@themaneater.comCopy edited by Chase Pray | cpray@themaneater.comEdited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com