Cuonzo Martin has said repeatedly that his program at Missouri will be built on defense. It's how he turned Missouri State from a team that won 11 games in his first season to one that won 26 games, a Missouri Valley regular season conference championship and barely missed the NCAA Tournament in 2011. And it's the same philosophy he used to turn his teams at Tennessee and California from decidedly mediocre on the defensive end to some of the stingiest groups in the country.
When he took the job at Mizzou in March, he had a similar challenge. In the past three seasons, the Tigers ranked 173rd (2014-15), 114th (2015-16) and 122nd (2016-17) in field goal percentage defense.
In those same three seasons, Martin's Cal teams went from 158th to 25th to 17th in the same category. The defensive transformation didn't happen overnight in Berkeley, and it won't happen that way at Missouri, but the Tigers have been substantially better across the board on defense this year. Nine games into this season, Mizzou ranks 40th in field-goal percentage defense and 35th in two-point field goal percentage defense. For Martin though, those aren't numbers to be content with.
"They're getting better, but you didn't say top-10," Martin said Thursday when asked about his team's improvement. " I say that with all seriousness; we've got work to do. I think we get up, we get leads of 10, 12, 15 and we let up a little bit. This is what we do; we dominate games if you're supposed to dominate the game. It doesn't matter the opponent, so you can't let up when you get a big lead. ... However we got to that point, let's maintain it until the buzzer sounds."
The addition of Canisius transfer Kassius Robertson and the emergence of junior guard Jordan Geist on the perimeter have been critical for Mizzou’s improvement, but it’s been a pair of true freshman big men — Jeremiah Tilmon and Jontay Porter — that have made the biggest impact.
Tilmon gives Mizzou a prototypical interior shot-blocker who makes opponents think twice before they venture into the lane. When he’s able to stay out of foul trouble, which has been a challenge early in the season, Tilmon can change the complexion of the Tigers’ defense with his inside presence. His nine blocks in the first nine games are second on the team only to Porter, who has been a bit of revelation about reclassifying to the 2017 class this summer to play with his older brother, Michael Jr.
Originally expected to play sparingly as a freshman while he adjusted to the college level, the younger Porter has shown impressive versatility not only on the offensive end, but on defense as well. Coupled with his ability to defend quicker forwards on the perimeter, Porter has showcased his shot-blocking ability, swatting 18 shots already this season. Mizzou’s leading shot-blocker a year ago — Reed Nikko — had 19 blocks the entire season, and the Tigers as a whole had just 68 blocks in 32 games. In games against Long Beach State and No. 18 West Virginia last month, Porter notched four- and five-block performances while Tilmon has two separate three-block games already.
The duo gives Martin depth to work with inside, but their length can also make up for any defensive lapses on the perimeter by Mizzou’s guards. Likewise, the Tigers’ improvement outside has allowed their interior players to not constantly have to worry about sagging off their man to help when a guard gets beat off the dribble.
“I think it helps; I do think it helps,” Martin said of Porter and Tilmon’s length. “Both have good instincts, and Jontay is a better shot-blocker than I anticipated. I think on the same side, it helps when our guards get breakdowns and we blitz the post, so it’s a two-way street.”
