Even in defeat, Missouri basketball teased improvement: 3 reasons to be encouraged

Posted by Admin November 7, 2024 Basketball

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Missouri basketball’s 2024-25 season-opener finished the same way as the 19 games that came before, but the signs of a brighter future were there.

Mizzou lost 83-75 to Memphis on Monday at FedEx Forum to open its new campaign, and Dennis Gates’ team now has a 20-game losing streak dating back to last season. There were plenty of familiar low points in the second-half collapse, including questionable lineup choices, some barren spells on offense and an inability to keep the opposition away from the free-throw line.

That’s the bad.

Now for the good.

Before the game went south, there were plenty of reasons not to give in to pessimism on this Missouri team quite yet. Here are three:

Fast, disruptive: 2022-23 Missouri basketball threatened to return at Memphis

The hallmarks of Gates’ first Missouri team were there.

For a full half, it looked a lot like the team that went to the SEC Tournament semifinals and NCAA Tournament second round.

Mizzou worked a 2-3 zone defense that was a major first-half headache for Memphis, as MU had six steals that it turned into 12 fast-break points.

The Missouri offense that let the likes of D’Moi Hodge and DeAndre Gholston thrive two seasons ago was back on display with 12 points off turnovers, 12 total assists to just three turnovers, and 15 attempts from 3.

There’s a clear sense that this team is longer and more athletic and more capable of playing the style Gates wants — and that applies to both ends of the court.

Mizzou, if it plays like it did for 20 minutes in Memphis, is going to give a lot of teams a lot of problems courtesy of its frenetic pace. That should set up some exciting games.

“The lesson is this: endurance,” Gates said. … “That first half becoming, now, the second half, right? I think if we are able to continue to know each other and grow in the direction that we need to grow, we’ll be able to put two halves together.”

Gates’ recruits show sure signs of development

There wasn’t much to write home about last season for then-freshmen Anthony Robinson II and Trent Pierce. Both had to miss time on the court at various points in the season. Neither solidified a role as a starter.

Game 1 of their respective encores showed us something completely different.

Robinson, for long stretches in his first MU start, was the best player in a Missouri uniform. He was disruptive on defense with three steals. When Mizzou picked up the tempo, he was the primary creator with seven assists. While players in gold jerseys around him struggled to take care of the ball in the second half, he had a steady hand with just one turnover.

He made his way to the free-throw line more than any MU player and went 7-of-9. After a 20% shooting year last season from 3, he made his lone attempt from deep in the opener but was given a technical foul for chirping the Memphis bench immediately afterward.

“He’s improved. He’s been one of the most disruptive on-ball defenders,” Gates said. “But again, as a young player, he has to continue to read the game the right way, continue to get better and not allow those moments, just because he made a 3, to turn around and get a technical foul.”

Pierce was Missouri’s most effective and rounded offensive weapon in the first half. He stepped into a transition 3 and knocked it down without hesitation. He pump-faked a Memphis defender, cruised by and deftly finished at the rim. He took the ball on fast-break for a mean-lookin’ dunk. He was 4-of-6 from the field in the first half and had a career-high 13 points by the end of the game.

His absence until the 6:40 mark of the second half was almost inexplicable. Gates said he wanted Mizzou to run with its primary ball-handlers against the Memphis press. Sure, yes … but that didn’t work.

Pierce looks like he has taken a significant offseason step. We’ll see if that’s enough to carve out a consistent role in the rotation, but the early returns were good.

Missouri will get time to gel in November

Mizzou, on paper, gets a comfortable run for the remainder of the month. None of MU’s next seven opponents are ranked in the top 130 teams on the basketball analytics site KenPom’s ratings.

That’s handy because the second half in Memphis clearly showed this team still needs to figure out some roles and responsibilities. That includes transfers Jacob Crews and Marques Warrick, who played a combined eight minutes in the opener despite mid-major stat lines that promise more of a long-term impact. It also includes the players who were on the court more and potential lessons to learn about lineups, like who can best deal with teams that press.

The Tigers will get chances for the remainder of November. It’s not an audacious claim to say they’ll win their first game in a long time this coming Friday at home against Howard.

Small steps, but Game 1 showed some reasons for encouragement.

“I’ve seen a lot of progress in our team,” Robinson said. “You know, this is the first game, we still have a long way to go. And, you know, just continue to stack days. And, you know, it will be a long season. So just the first one.”