Game at a Glance
After each Tiger game, we take a look at the highs and lows. Here's the report from Wednesday's 77-72 loss to Auburn.
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TURNING POINT: Missouri had drawn even at 66-66 after Russell Woods split a pair of free throws. But Mustapha Heron came alive, hitting a three-pointer on Auburn's ensuing possession and then a buzzer-beating jumper the next time down the floor to give the visiting Tigers a 71-66 lead they would not relinquish. In between, Terrence Phillips missed a jumper for Mizzou.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: At some point in a string of six consecutive made free throws by Auburn late. The Tigers made just 12 of their first 27 foul shots, but were 6-for-6 in the final 51 seconds to keep Missouri at bay. Bruce Pearl said the Tigers simply had the right shooters at the line.
CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM: The next two games are on the road. The home fans won't be subjected to the same old story of this season for another 11 days.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: A winless SEC season and a potential SEC record for losses (it is currently 23) are both in the crosshairs. Mizzou's two best chances at a win have gone in the loss column.
STOCK UP: KJ Walton. The 6-foot-3 guard is clearly solidly in the rotation at this point and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds on Tuesday. The cynic will say someone has to grab all those missed shots, but Walton was active.
STOCK DOWN: Shooting. And really, the game of basketball as a whole after watching this one. This was, quite simply, a game between two bad teams that didn't play very well. It was tough to watch. In a season where Missouri has missed shots at a record clip, Missouri has had only one game (North Carolina Central) in which it shot worse than Tuesday's 32.4%.
UP NEXT: Missouri plays at Arkansas Saturday at 5:00 in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks are 12-3, 1-2 in the SEC and are currently in action at home against Mississippi State.