The Vols sunk the Tigers with a second-half onslaught, dropping MU to 6-3 in SEC play.
Over the first 20 minutes of action in Knoxville, Tennessee was far from its best self. Mizzou had taken advantage, leading for much of the early going against the Vols.
Then, Tennessee found its final form again.
Its defense became suffocating. Its offense dominated in the paint. While the Vols didn’t thump Mizzou like they thumped Florida on Saturday, their air-tight attack paved the way to an 85-81 victory.
The second half featured a quartet of Tennessee’s top players tearing up the hardwood. Back from absence against Florida, Zakai Zeigler was doing a lot of swishing (21 points) and dishing (eight assists), the latter of which was common for the SEC leader in assists per game. Milicic, who shook off an illness that also kept him out against the Gators, was an all-around impact, scoring 21 points of his own to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists. He also registered four blocks and two steals. Sharpshooter Chaz Lanier also came alive in the second half, hitting a pair of three-pointers, while Felix Okpara fortified the interior with three blocks.
Many of Mizzou’s top scorers were also held in check for most of Wednesday. Mark Mitchell was held to a season-low four points on 0/6 shooting. Per usual, he was able to collapse the opposing defense and was able to shoot six free throws as a result. However, the multiple white jerseys that often swarmed Mitchell near the basket were like bees instead of, well, something not as dangerous as bees.
Elsewhere, Robinson played just six minutes, going scoreless while picking up three fouls (although he did come away with three steals). Trent Pierce scored just two points in 15 minutes, and while Caleb Grill dropped 11 points on an efficient 4/5 shooting, Tennessee guarded him like a made triple by Grill would end their basketball program on the spot. Thus, getting Grill the ball was extremely difficult.
Similarly to Mizzou’s contest at Texas on Jan. 21, the game started slow for both teams on the offensive end. Through the first five minutes of action, Tennessee lead 5-0. Unlike the Texas game, however, MU was able to find a groove. However, the good times were spurred by unexpected catalysts.
Entering Saturday, Tony Perkins averaged under eight points per game and shot just 29.4% from beyond the arc. So naturally, with an invisible lid on the basket, it was Perkins who took it off from distance. He scored 11 of Mizzou’s first 13 points, with nine of them coming from three-point range. After reaching double-digit points in just four of his 19 games this season, he hit the threshold with less than nine minutes gone in the first half.
Later in the half, another guard caught fire for the Tigers, and it wasn’t Anthony Robinson II, Caleb Grill or Tamar Bates. Marques Warrick had scored just four points in 39 minutes over MU’s last five games. Against Tennessee, he knocked down a pair of short jumpers before drilling a deep triple to put Mizzou ahead 30-21. Robinson, Grill, Bates, Mark Mitchell, Trent Pierce and Josh Gray combined for just five points over the first 20 minutes; however, their offensive struggles were offset by Perkins and Warrick, as MU held a 34-28 advantage at halftime.
What also propelled the Tigers to an early advantage was a stingy defense that stymied Tennessee on the interior. The Vols shot an efficient 4/5 from beyond the arc, with Zakai Zeigler knocking down two of them. However, Tennessee shot just 8/20 on two-pointers, as the Vols were often met with heavy resistance at the rim by Mizzou. The Tigers also forced eight turnovers.
Mizzou will return home for a clash with No. 10 Texas A&M on Saturday for the annual Rally for Rhyan game. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. CST.