Head coach Frank Haith's squad trailed SEMO by ten points, on their home court, at half time. The Twitter world blew up with anger as many wondered what was going on in Columbia.
Mizzou obviously stormed back to win 81-65 and outscored SEMO 46-20 in the second half. Here are five thoughts on the Tigers' victory over SEMO.
1. Phil Pressey needs help making plays. Pressey attempted 18 shots on Tuesday night, making only four of those attempts. The reason Pressey is taking so many shots is because he does not have any help in creating plays.
Nobody else on the Tigers has stepped up and shown an ability to make something happen with the ball, putting a lot of pressure on Pressey. Because of that, Pressey has the ball, a lot.
Addtionally, Mizzou gets caught standing and watching Pressey too much. Guys like Earnest Ross and Alex Orakhi must do a better job of putting themselves in a position to score so Pressey can find them.
2. Mizzou is better with Alex Oriakhi on the bench. The big man has had a nice season thus far, averaging 10.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
That is a nice stat line, but if you watch Mizzou offensively, with Oriakhi in the game, the team is just not as fluid. Coincidentally, Oriakhi played just 15 minutes on Tuesday night, most of that coming in the first half when Mizzou struggled.
3. Replacing Oriakhi in the lineup was transfer forward Tony Criswell and he played outstanding. Criswell is big and athletic and showed an ability to hit shots from the outside in the win, scoring 13 points on six of eight shooting from the field.
Criswell's athleticism allows Mizzou to get out and run without sacrificing size on the glass. Look for Criswell's minutes to continue to increase at the expense of Oriakhi.
4. Laurence Bowers looks like an NBA prospect thus far in his first season back from an ACL injury. Bowers has shown that he is healthy athletically and has also displayed a drastically improved offensive game.
Bowers poured in 26 points against SEMO, scoring inside and out. Bowers kept Mizzou in the game in the first half and helped the Tigers seal the victory in the second half. Look for Bowers to continue to play like one of the best forwards in the country.
5. Keion Bell is the x-factor for this team. When Bell is engaged on both ends of the floor, this team is better. Bell scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while being a disruptive force on both ends of the floor.
Bell is learning that he can have an effect on the game without dribbling the basketball. He is figuring out that he can make an impact defensively by pressuring the ball and attacking the glass. He is learning that he can help the offense by putting himself in position to score and make quick decisions.
Overall, Mizzou must be better as the schedule ramps up come Christmas time. Mizzou is currently 7-1 and sitting nicely, but if they want to repeat the success of last season's regular season, they must pick up the intensity defensively and run the floor and make cuts to the basket with more passion.
This Mizzou team is talented, but must still play better together if they want to reach their potential.
