Ranging from impressive to disappointing, the first half of the Missouri Tigers’ season has fallen somewhere in between.
It’s been a cluster of thunderous dunks, productive newcomers, poor rebounding, defensive lapses, and Mike Anderson boldly discarding his suit jacket when the game is on the line. So, with all the ups and downs, how do we make sense of it all?
Well, let’s start with the positives. This team’s strength is their depth; they go 10 deep, and are armed with more fresh bodies than you could stuff into a clown car. Of course, they need that depth to succeed in Anderson’s transition-first, stop-to-breath-when-the-game’s-over style of play. The Missouri method can only be described as controlled chaos, and to move with that frenzy Anderson needs to continually switch in fresh legs. This means that Mizzou will consistently be fresher going into the home stretch of games, and their key players will hopefully have more in the tank when they really need it. Not only that, but foul trouble is rarely a factor, because while Mizzou’s ultra-aggressive defense fouls at a startling rate, so many players get minutes that the fouls spread out and no one player gets into significant danger (unless you’re Steve Moore, whose wildly flailing arms account for an astounding 8.2 fouls per 40 minutes).
While this team is almost startlingly young (touting Justin Safford as the lone senior), it is thankfully not without strong leadership and a go-to scorer. Marcus Denmon has provided both this season, raising his game in almost every facet. Its been an incredible transformation, as if Denmon suddenly found magical Nike sneakers on a telephone wire, a la “Like Mike”. The junior from Kansas City is in the running for Big 12 Player of the Year, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc. His explosiveness has also returned, after battling knee problems in his freshman and sophomore seasons. It seems in every aspect Denmon is flying higher than ever.
However, one player can’t account for the team’s relative inability to finish winnable road games so far this season. All four of the Tigers’ losses have come away from Mizzou Arena, and Mizzou squandered late leads in two of those games before eventually losing in overtime. This team has all the talent necessary to beat any team at any time, but it seems to lack that killer instinct necessary to bury an opponent once they’re down. This partially is due to inexperience; as this group continues to grow, they should figure out how to thrive in unwelcoming environments. However, that takes time, and time isn’t a luxury any NCAA tournament contender is afforded.
One reason Mizzou hasn’t been able to get it done on the road is that they have been forced to play the opponent’s style. The Tigers thrive on running the floor, scoring in transition, and making the opponent play at an uncomfortable pace. When Mizzou fails to get stops and cause turnovers they are forced to play half-court offense- an area where they have looked out of their element. Mizzou’s half court sets have for the most part appeared slow and stagnant, failing to provide open looks for shooters or high percentage shots near the rim. This was the case on Saturday night—Texas enforced its will on the glass, getting multiple opportunities on each possession, and without generating quick stops Mizzou’s speed was taken out of the game.
With huge showdowns against Kansas State, Baylor, and Kansas (who apparently is our rival) upcoming, it’ll be interesting to see how Mizzou bounces back from these recent defeats. They’ll need Denmon to continue carrying the load, and hope that Kim English’s confidence returns from an extended vacation. But more than anything, they’ll need to continue playing “The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball.” Against the depth and talent of teams like Kansas and Texas, that’s the only chance they have.