After going nine consecutive games without a victory, the Tigers are hoping to hit the reset button heading into the second half of SEC play.

“Today I spoke about going 9-9, right? How do we want this second half to go? You can't control certain things that have already happened. But how can you move forward?” head coach Dennis Gates said during the team’s press conference on Tuesday. “But you can't just get all nine wins. You have to start with one. You have to start with winning each practice each day and, obviously, looking in the mirror first. So that's what our guys are going to do, that's what we're accustomed to doing. Our guys are going to give their very best and we're going to stay connected while we're doing it.”

Mizzou’s next opportunity to get in the win column comes at home against Texas A&M. The black and gold trailed the Aggies by just three points on the road with 3:21 left in the second half of their previous matchup before hitting a three-minute cold streak and suffering a 63-57 loss. Since then, Texas A&M dropped a game to Ole Miss, 71-68, then edged out Florida, 67-66.

Gates knows this week’s game will be an important one for the Aggies as they try to get above .500 in conference play for the first time this year. But he also expects the Tigers to give their best effort and think that, if they can play through their mistakes and stick to their game plan, they’ll give themselves an opportunity to come out on top.

Missouri (8-14, 0-9 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (13-8, 4-4)

WHEN: 8 p.m. CT

WHERE: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri

TV: ESPN2

SERIES: Texas A&M leads, 25-20

KENPOM PREDICTION: Texas A&M 72, Missouri 68

1. Bring the same defensive toughness. The Tigers had one of their best performances on the defensive end the last time they faced off with Texas A&M. Utilizing a hybrid zone that took advantage of the Aggies’ lack of shooting prowess, Mizzou held its opponent to 36.0% on 2-pointers and 22.2% on 3-pointers. The 63 points TAMU scored was the fourth-lowest it’s had in any game this season. Missouri will need to do a better job of defending without fouling. The Aggies had 37 free throw attempts to the Tigers’ 10, which ended up being a major deciding factor in MU’s loss.

2. Take better care of the ball. Mizzou gave up 15 turnovers in the last meeting with Texas A&M, the fourth-most in any game this year. In a slow-paced game such as that, those giveaways can prove to be extremely costly. According to KenPom, the teams got 65 possessions each, which meant that 23.1% of the Tigers’ opportunities ended in a turnover — well above their season average of 16.1%, which ranks 104th in the country. Senior forward Jesus Carralero Martin coughed the ball up a season-high five times that night while graduate senior guard Sean East II added another four turnovers. Returning to season norms would go a long way for the black and gold.

3. Go to work on the glass. You can’t bring up the Aggies without discussing their ability to crash the boards. Texas A&M currently ranks No. 1 in SEC play pulling down 39.4% of available offensive rebounds and 72.3% of available defensive rebounds. Missouri did a solid job of limiting the team’s second-chance opportunities in the last matchup, only allowing TAMU to secure six offensive rebounds. But the Aggies did a better job in the second half, getting to nine and cashing in on 15 second-chance points for the game. The Tigers will need to sustain their efforts on the glass for the entirety of Wednesday’s game to keep Texas A&M’s second-chance points from becoming a bigger factor.

As I wrote in my last preview, if you custom-built a team to expose Mizzou’s biggest weaknesses, it looks a lot like Texas A&M. The Tigers are far from full strength, but do play in front of a home crowd that hasn’t wavered much despite how the season’s gone. I think Missouri can keep it close again, but it needs a lot to go right to come out on top. I’ve got Texas A&M winning, 70-65.

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