The Bulldogs had a defensive weakness on the perimeter and the Tigers exploited it exponentially.
The No. 20 Missouri Tigers gave the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs a weekend to forget at home, as they shellacked the Bulldogs 88-61 to move to 17-4 on the season and 6-2 in SEC-play. Caleb Grill spearheaded a three-point exposé from the Tigers which included 15 three-pointers.
After opponents helped themselves to hot starts in their last two games, the Tigers were the conquerors of the early jitters this time around. Consecutive threes on the first two offensive possessions powered a 10-2 run early, establishing the Tigers in Starkville.
Mississippi State’s defense had done a good job of protecting themselves from quick points off of turnovers, but it was Mizzou winning that battle early with five steals within the first 10 minutes. They were active with their hands in the passing lanes and took advantage of the Bulldogs’ desire to get the ball into the paint.
Another emphasis heading into this game was Miss State’s tendency to leave guys open on the perimeter when over-committing to players in the paint. The opening frame showed that Mizzou, and more specifically Grill knew that scouting report. Three consecutive three-pointers on three possessions from Grill were imperative to the Tigers picking up nine threes in the first half.
Grill’s performance in the first half was staggering, with heat check after heat check draining in effortlessly. His hot hand continued into the second half, hitting more threes from range with hands in his face. Grill finished the game with 20 points on 7-12 shooting with 18 of them coming from beyond the arc.
On the other hand, Josh Hubbard and the Bulldogs answered with six threes of their own in the first half but a defensive surge from Mizzou at the end of it proved the difference. The Bulldogs picked up just three in the final 5:22 of the half, which lead to the Tigers holding a comfortable 45-31 lead. Hubbard finished the game with 24 points on 7-13 shooting, while KeShawn Murphy added 16 points of his own. The rest of the Bulldog team finished with 21 points, unable to support their guard-big duo.
Mizzou’s offensive rebounding hasn’t exactly been a strong suit but in this game the Tigers did a great job of earning second-chance points through offensive rebounding. Josh Gray had perhaps his best game as a Tiger, being stout as a rim-protector and earning his first double-double of the season after narrowly missing one against kansas.
While Hubbard had done a good job of shooting hot throughout the game, the rest of the Bulldogs didn’t do as hot. Outside of Hubbard, the Bulldogs shot 2-15 from three-point land and an abysmal 13-42 from the field. Mizzou did a phenomenal job not giving any room for the Bulldogs to operate within the paint, an area where they thrive.
The game was essentially put away at the beginning of the second half as Mizzou opened on a 17-6 run, which was commandeered by excellent defense-to-offense basketball that would have made legendary former Mizzou head coach Norm Stewart proud. Even if he just so happens to be one of Head Coach Dennis Gates’ biggest criticizers.
“Norm’s never satisfied when I talk to him; he’ll say congratulations but then he’ll pick me apart,” Gates said. “I like the constructive criticism and a relationship that we have where he’s not afraid to hurt my feelings or tell me the truth.”
The Tigers’ passing was not something to scoff at either, with 18 assists to 11 turnovers. Tony Perkins led the way in that department with five assists and zero turnovers to his name.
Mizzou’s shooting prowess was so prevalent, that they didn’t even exploit one of their main forms of offense in the free-throw line. Gates’ crew generated just 11 opposition fouls in the game, one of their lowest marks of the season.
The win is Mizzou’s second-straight road win against a ranked opponent, a mark they have not achieved since the 1998-99 season.
Statistically, the Tigers shot 55% from the field and 47% from three-point range, while the Bulldogs shot 36% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc. Rebounding wise, the Tigers outrebounded the Bulldogs 39-31 and generated 11 turnovers in the game.
The slate doesn’t get any easier for the Tigers after this, as the Tigers will travel to Knoxville, Tenn. on Wednesday, February 5 to take on the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers at 7 PM CST.