When Missouri’s men’s basketball team headed to overtime with No. 11 Xavier on Thursday afternoon in the first game of the Tire Pros Invitational, it seemed that the Tigers had finally improved under Kim Anderson. They lost the heartbreaker in overtime in Orlando, though, and proceeded to lose to Davidson the next day. Missouri (2-2) showed a flash of hope on Sunday with a comeback win over Tulane in the seventh-place game.
Still, it may be too early to determine if there has been any real improvement.
Takeaways from the Tigers’ weekend in Florida:
####Frankie Hughes may be Missouri’s best player, but he’s definitely its most frustrating
It can be frustrating when freshman shooting guard Frankie Hughes jacks up contested shot after contested shot from three, but it’s never sweeter than when the looks start to rain down into the basket.
Hughes struggled from deep in the first halves of all three games but improved in the second half of all three.
His impact, though, was felt in facets of the game other than shooting.
Hughes’ on-ball defense was excellent against Xavier, as he recorded three steals and kept Musketeer star Trevon Bluiett to 5-of-16 shooting, including 0-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Hughes recorded five assists and three rebounds against Xavier, shooting 8-of-20 from the field and scoring 24 points.
He put up two rebounds and two assists against Davidson but shot just 1-of-11. Against Tulane, Hughes put up 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
Hughes’ contribution to the Tigers is larger when his shots are falling, but it can still be there due to his skill in defending and rebounding. He has struggled with consistency, but it’s easy to forget he’s just a freshman and has played four career NCAA games.
####Missouri faded as the weekend went on
For Missouri to come within seconds of going to double overtime with Xavier was nothing short of impressive for such a young team. They hung with a No. 2 seed in last year’s NCAA tournament for 44 minutes and 59.7 seconds, until Terrence Phillips committed a costly foul with 0.3 seconds left in overtime.
The Tigers have matched up with Xavier the last two years, too. They lost all three game but were more competitive on Thursday than last year in Cincinnati and two years ago at home. They seemed to have somewhat of a familiarity with the Musketeers, helping them to a lead for most of the game.
It would seem that Missouri would carry over its tremendous effort against Xavier into its other games in the tournament. Whatever the reason, that didn’t happen.
Mizzou came out flat and cold against both Davidson on Friday and Tulane on Sunday. They shot just 36.1 percent against Davidson and just 33.3 percent in the first half against Tulane.
They made a surprising comeback against Tulane to pull the game out of ruin and avoid falling to 1-3 on the season; K.J. Walton and the bench unit were critical in the win.
The Tigers have to bring the same effort against a stellar team as they do against less-skilled teams if they want to improve on last year’s 3-15 Southeastern Conference record.
####The Tigers’ bench may indicate future success
When Mizzou trailed 32-22 at halftime against Tulane, it seemed like the repeat of the Davidson game — not enough offense to spark a comeback. That narrative proved untrue as Missouri overcame the deficit and beat the Green Wave, 67-62.
The comeback was fueled by their bench, notably transfer Jordan Geist and sophomore K.J. Walton. The bench unit, with Walton, Geist and freshmen Willie Jackson and Reed Nikko, has provided needed energy and talent when the Tigers’ starters stall. Against Tulane, Walton contributed 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting in just 20 minutes as he helped carry the Tigers to a much-needed win to level their record at 2-2.
Missouri’s bench was not an impressive unit last season, lacking both depth and skill, but this year’s bench will bring hope and increased expectations for the future.
The impressive bench and the youth of this team are both reasons to be optimistic about Mizzou’s future. If the Tigers can repeat the effort and the skill of their game against Xavier in every game, they’ll find their program turned around sooner rather than later.
_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_
