The Tigers have been filling it up …
Through two games, Mizzou is averaging 95 points. It’s the first time the team’s hung 90 points in back-to-back games since Nov. 23-24, 2017.
The Tigers are shooting 56.3% on 2s, 36.5% on 3s and 74.1% on free throws. They rank 25th in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom. Five different players are scoring double-digit points per game.
When people talk about a team being “versatile,” as Missouri has been described, they usually imply the ability of players to defend multiple positions, or to fill multiple roles, which is true of the Tigers. But this team is also versatile in that it is going to put points up, regardless of what defense its opponent runs.
When the Tigers went cold from outside against Southern Indiana in the season opener, they started driving to the rim and feeding Kobe Brown inside. When they got hot from deep against Penn on Friday, they took more treys than they did 2-pointers. They took over 25 free throws in both games.
Pushing the pace helps — more possessions mean more opportunities to put points on the board. But if Missouri can continue to find approaches that are effective both inside and out, the team can keep opposing defenses guessing.
… but so have their opponents.
Scoring a high number of points hasn’t led to blowout wins for the Tigers through their first two games. Their struggles with perimeter defense has been a big reason why.
USI’s second half from beyond the arc was an anomaly, but Mizzou wasn’t great at slowing down the Quakers from distance either. The Screaming Eagles finished the season opener shooting 15-30 on 3-pointers — Penn went 16-32.
The 50% mark that the Tigers are allowing on 3s ranks in the bottom 40 in the NCAA. The number is bound to come down, but by how much?
Opponents have actually shot worse getting closer to the basket, hitting at a 47.4% clip on 2-pointers. It’s a big reason why Missouri’s adjusted defensive efficiency still ranks in the top 100 in the NCAA (the abundance of turnovers the team generates is the other reason).
The Tigers have avoided the repercussions of giving up a high number of 3s because of the success of their offense. But when the day comes that the offense sputters, they’ll need to turn in a much better defensive performance.
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