When Ronnie Suggs made one of two free throws to put Missouri ahead of No. 25 LSU by 14 points with 2:14 left, a Missouri upset of LSU seemed all but assured. As LSU coach Will Wade put it after the game, a comeback of that magnitude “happens once out of every 500 times.” He added, “I might be being generous.”
To the shock of Missouri’s players and the 11,513 fans in Mizzou Arena, that one time came Saturday. LSU closed the 14-point deficit when forward Emmitt Williams tied the game on a free throw with 2.2 seconds remaining in regulation, then ultimately completed the comeback by outscoring Missouri 15 to nine in overtime for an 86-80 win.
The collapse left Missouri stunned and searching for answers. Center Jeremiah Tilmon even said after the game he had to ask his teammates what happened for LSU to get back in the game so quickly. Head coach Cuonzo Martin placed the blame for the loss on his own shoulders.
“I just simply said to the guys, ‘I have to find a way to get you over the hump in a game like that,’” Martin said.
LSU pulled off the comeback by exploiting one of Missouri’s major weaknesses: Its ability to handle full-court pressure. Immediately after Suggs’ free throw, LSU’s Skylar Mays made the team’s first three-pointer in more than 17 minutes. A desperate LSU press then forced a steal, leading to a Mays layup plus a foul. Another Missouri turnover led to another three-pointer for Mays, which capped a personal 9-0 run and put LSU firmly back in the game.
Jordan Geist, who scored 25 points for Missouri and looked for 37 minutes like he would go down as the hero, then drew a foul and answered Mays’ three with a single free throw. But LSU’s Tremont Waters hit a three on the following possession. Then, after yet another LSU steal, Jeremiah Tilmon got called for a foul as he battled Naz Reid for a rebound — one of several calls by the officiating crew that drew hearty boos from the home crowd.
Even though Reid made both free throws to cut the lead to a single point, Missouri had another chance to ice the upset. Geist found an opening and launched a three from the top of the key, but it came up short. Waters then drove all the way to the hoop for LSU but missed what would have been a game-winning layup. However, the ire from Missouri fans reached fever pitch when Suggs, a walk-on who played 29 minutes due to the absence of Mark Smith, got called for a foul on the rebound. Suggs was diplomatic in discussing the call, but he seemed to feel he was simply boxing out Williams. The officials saw his action as a late bump.
“I tried to block out and get good position because I knew the shot was going to be off,” Suggs explained. “The ref said that I walked under him.”
Even though Williams missed one of two free throws, sending the game into overtime, a shell-shocked Missouri group suddenly felt like the team with a one-in-500 chance of winning. Sure enough, LSU answered a Javon Pickett three-pointer with two dunks and back-to-back threes from Ja’vonte Smart, the second of which put LSU in the lead for good.
Martin and his players made it clear after the game that they took no consolation from the fact that Missouri out-played a top-25 team without its second-leading scorer. This loss hurt. Martin, normally even-keeled after a loss, appeared pained as he fielded questions from reporters.
“It’s just a hard, hard pill to swallow, and hopefully it’s one we can learn from and never have to witness again,” Martin said. “You never assume the game is over until it’s over.”
Martin and his players said Missouri’s collapse stemmed from allowing LSU to speed the game up with its pressure. With Smith out of the lineup and freshman guard Xavier Pinson having fouled out midway through the second half, the Tigers were short on ball-handlers, which allowed LSU to easily set up traps for Geist, the only candidate to bring the ball up the floor. Still, a dejected Geist blamed himself for the late flurry of turnovers.
“I gotta be able to take care of the ball,” Geist said. “As a senior, this is my team, and I gotta be a leader on the team and I gotta take control so they know that they shouldn’t be scared or worried to have the ball in their hands.”
Tilmon, who scored 11 points in a career-high 35 minutes, said some of his frustration stemmed from the fact that, even though it hasn’t been a collapse of this magnitude, Missouri has lost this way before. The Tigers have struggled against full-court pressure for each of the past two seasons, and last year, surrendered more than one come-from-behind victories due in large part to late turnovers.
“We had the game,” Tilmon said. “We just be making mistakes at the wrong time. It happens every time.”
Wade was honest in his assessment of the comeback. He called LSU “very, very fortunate” and said he told his team it is “out of mulligans after this one.” He said Missouri “played a lot better than us.”
For the Missouri players, that seemed to be the most painful aspect of the loss.
“I feel like we can play with anybody,” Tilmon said. “They’re 6-0 in the conference and we almost had them beat. We can play with anybody. It’s just ourselves. We be making ourselves lose.”
TURNING POINT: In a last-ditch attempt to erase Missouri’s double-digit lead, LSU implemented a full-court press, and it paid off. Missouri turned the ball over four times in the final three minutes of regulation. At the same time, LSU finally got hot from three-point range. LSU went just over 17 minutes between its first made three-pointer of the second half and its second, when Mays cut Missouri’s lead to 11 points with 2:08 remaining. Mays then hit another three a couple possessions later, then Waters buried a three from the top of the key. LSU ended regulation on a 15-1 run.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Geist missed a shot from the lane which would have cut LSU’s lead to one point late in overtime. He then fouled Reid, who extended LSU’s lead to five points with 19 seconds remaining.
CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM: Missouri put itself in position to beat a team that is ranked in the Top 25 and undefeated in SEC play without its second-leading scorer. A lot had of players had to play well to make that happen. Geist was phenomenal for much of the game, Tilmon held his own against a talented frontcourt, and Xavier Pinson showed more flashes of his rare talent. Perhaps most encouraging, Missouri didn’t shoot the ball at a rate it won’t be able to replicate. In fact, the team’s 25 percent three-point shooting clip is its second-worst of the year. In short, if Missouri plays defense like it did Saturday and keeps Tilmon on the floor, it is capable of beating almost anyone left on its schedule.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: As Tilmon said, this isn’t the first time under Martin that the team has absolutely melted down under late pressure. The loss to West Virginia and win over Mississippi State last season spring to mind as other examples. Saturday, combined with the 24-turnover game against Arkansas earlier in the week, doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence that the team is improving in its ability handle full-court pressure.
STOCK UP: Jeremiah Tilmon. Tilmon entered the game having fouled out in four of Missouri’s past six games, but he played 35 minutes without doing so against LSU’s talented frontcourt. Missouri should at least have a chance in every game if he’s able to replicate that performance.
STOCK DOWN: Torrence Watson. The freshman got his first career start in the absence of Smith, but only wound up playing 17 minutes, and none in the second half. He didn’t record a stat aside from two missed shots, and he clearly struggled whenever he tried to dribble in the face of pressure. At this point, it’s apparent that Martin likes Suggs more than Watson.
UP NEXT: Missouri (10-8), KenPom No. 83) will travel to Auburn (13-6, KenPom No. 13) on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
