It's Monday morning, so it's time for me to let you all know what's been on my mind the past week. It's mostly basketball stuff, then one gymnastics thought for fun.
BASKETBALL THOUGHTS
1. The first two years of Dennis Gates' tenure in Columbia, the Tigers had the issue of almost never going to the free-throw line.
They would get out-attempted on free throws by double digits just about every game and Gates spent press conference after press conference bemoaning how his team never got to the line, seemingly confused that a strategy of chucking up 3-pointers and barely ever attacking the paint led to getting fouled less.
That's certainly not a problem anymore.
But since SEC play began, the Tigers have a new issue, one that hasn't yet killed them, but will in an important moment sooner or later.
They aren't making a high-enough percentage as a team.
In non-conference play, the Tigers shot 275-of-380 (72.4 percent) averaging 22.9-of-31.7 per game. That was led largely by Ant Robinson who was 55-of-66 (83.3 percent) in non-conference games.
There were still some important misses, empty trips late against Illinois being the main ones, but the Tigers were taking full advantage of the new offensive strategy that got them to the stripe significantly more often, not just than they did in the first two years of Gates' tenure, but significantly more often than almost every other team in the country.
Since conference play began, the team is shooting 136-of-192 from the line, a percentage of 70.8. That's an average of 19.43-of-the 27.43 per game. So getting to the line less, which was expected in a physical league where you're not going to get a call every time down the floor, but the 3.5 fewer makes per game definitely show up.
A change of 1.6 percent isn't enormous, and it could be made up pretty easily if the Tigers have two great games in a row, but the difference has felt staggering. Maybe that's just because the games are tighter, so every miss feels more important, but the misses from the line have been notable whenever they happen.
To best take advantage of the offensive plan that includes getting to the line nearly 30 times a game, the Tigers have to make more.
The best teams in the country shoot over 80 percent, Wisconsin sits in the lead at 85.27 (which is insane as a team), while UTSA is second at 82.56, Michigan State is next at 81.51 and Oklahoma is at 80.31. That's all the teams above 80 percent. Mizzou's 71.85 percent for the year places the Tigers at No. 183 in the country, right about in the middle of the NCAA.
If they could increase that to just 75 percent, not an unrealistic ask, but a big improvement, that could move them into a tie for No. 74.
2. But obviously getting to the line that much is still incredibly valuable.
Of course, even shooting 71.85 percent as a team overall and 70.8 percent in conference play, the Tigers are still making 19.43 free throws per game against SEC teams and 20.6 overall.
That still leaves them in first in the country for free throws made per game, next up is Winthrop at 20.1. Alabama is the next major-conference team ...
