Whatever bug plagued Missouri (2-0) in the first half of its 72-59 win Tuesday over Southern Illinois, interim coach Tim Fuller surely chased away.
But according to Fuller, the ills that troubled the Tigers, who led by only one at the half, were actions that took the ball out of the hands of guards Jordan Clarkson (junior), Jabari Brown (senior) and Earnest Ross (senior).
“We have to win,” Fuller said. “First half we shared the basketball, we tried to move the basketball, but I’m not going to ask players to do things they’re not comfortable doing.”
To battle the Salukis’ 2-3 zone — a defense Clarkson said he expects to see plenty of this season — Missouri let wings Clarkson, Brown and Ross control the tempo and hold the ball, sending forwards Johnathan Williams III (freshman) and Ryan Rosburg (sophomore) dashing from high-post to low-post without an incoming pass.
“I feel like a couple times J three was able to get the ball in the high post and go to work,” Brown said. “I feel like we just had to make a conscious effort trying to get it there.”
That task might be harder this year after the departure of stud-forwards Alex Oriakhi and Laurence Bowers, who combined to average more than 25 points a game and 14 rebounds.
“Ryan Rosburg is not comfortable scoring in the post yet, so in the second half we just put the ball in hands of our best players and let them make plays,” Fuller said. “We don’t have a post player that we’re going to ask to score 20 and 10. We’re trying to get that out of all three guys, Ryan Keanau and Torren, versus just trying to get it out of one guy.”
The two combined for 14 rebounds, though the Salukis matched the Tigers on the boards 37-37, but only eight points, all from in the paint. The remainder of MU’s interior scoring came from solely Clarkson and Brown.
Forwards Keanau Post (junior), Stefan Jankovic (sophomore) and Torren Jones (freshman) each saw minutes on the block as well, but only Jones appeared in the second half — when Clarkson scored 19 of his 31 points and Brown scored eight of his 17.
“I look at our 5 and 4 position and there’s 40 minutes available and we have several guys that’s going to rotate through those positions,” Fuller said. “Everybody gets a little bit of reps in the first half, and we’ll see how they feel. In the second half we had to go with that that are going to play tough, and help us gut out a win.”
Instead, it was Clarkson going to the basket that provided Missouri’s inside presence. The Tulsa transfer had 11 layups and of his five assists, four of them came on three pointers when defenders helped off their men to cut off Clarkson’s drive.
“Coach Fuller just tells us to attack, attack the paint so I think we did a good job of that tonight,” Clarkson said. “Having a deadly shooter coming off the drives like that, then you’ve gotta pick either one, so it’s either you’re gonna let me take the layup or Jabari’s gonna knock down a three.”
Though the team of transfers (Clarkson from Tulsa, Ross from Auburn and Brown from Oregon) combined for 82 percent of the Tigers points, Clarkson is not concerned with the oligarchy of scoring. The Tigers boast a young front line, one that still endures growing pains.
“They’ll find a way of getting their production,” Clarkson said. “I feel like they’re growing every game. We got a young frontcourt, so I feel like J three’s growing every game. You got Rosburg still growing and I feel like he’s played a big part in these last games. It’s only going to continue to get better and they’re going to find buckets.”
