15 Thoughts On Mizzou

BOX SCORE

I’m not entirely sure why I continue to be optimistic abou this year’s OSU basketball team.

Lose by 40 in Waco, trail by 29 in Lawrence, down 30 in Columbia. They are getting DESTROYED by good teams.

But they’re also showing flashes and the point they’re at right now is not even on the same planet as the point they were at in November and December when they got rolled by Alabama and New Mexico.

The Cowboys struggled tonight after being competitive early. Le’Bryan picked up foul #2 early (at the 12-minute mark in the first half) and Mizzou closed with a 32-10 run to open up a 44-22 lead at the half.

They couldn’t miss either, tossing up a 60% | 60% | 90% line in the first 20 minutes.

OSU struggled to run and get easy buckets like they did earlier in the year in Stillwater and Missou’s defense in the halfcourt was stifling.

The problem with OSU is that if they aren’t running on you they have to be shooting on you because they certainly aren’t going inside on you. And they didn’t shoot well at all until Keiton closed with four threes in the last five minutes.

It was all Tigers in the second half too as they ran the Pokes out of the gym 83 to 62, with OSU (Keiton) making it close late…and almost getting the back back back backdoor cover!

Thankfully the toughest stretch of the season, Baylor – Iowa St. – Kansas – Mizzou is over and these guys can focus on closing 2012 on a positive note.

15 more thoughts from Columbia on Wednesday…

1. ESPN’s idea of making up not cutting to the OSU game from a 20-point South Florida-Villanova game was leaving the camera on Mizzou’s timeout huddle for the entire 16-minute timeout in the first half, so that was fun.

2. Also, if Jay Wright had called a timeout with 1.5 seconds left after Nova hit that three (and I thought he was going to), I would have burned my Villanova shorts.

3. Columbia is great, and Mizzou has a phenomenal crowd and court, but playing there on a Wednesday night is two worlds away from playing in Phog Allen on a Saturday afternoon. I feel like it’s hard to breathe in the Phog (no pun), not as much at Mizzou.

4. The development of Markel at the point really opens up the half court options for OSU.

5. I really liked (and agreed with) Fran’s point about more guys redshirting. In fact, I see a 3,000-word Andy Katz feature forthcoming in 2014 on it when Williams and Cobbins are leading this team to the Sweet 16.

6. The sheer number of people hurtling themselves off the bandwagon via Twitter tonight was appalling. There’s a reason Mizzou is the #3 team in the country. There’s a reason they were favored by 16. There’s a reason they’ve won 14 in a row at home. Just settle down.

7. Judging these second halves is tough…

8. With the W, Mizzou starts 24-2 for the third time in school history. So to recap, #3 team in the country at home in a revenge game on a court they haven’t lost on all season favored by 16…what did we think was going to happen?

9. Keiton trying to guard Flip Pressey is like me trying to have an essay contest with Scott Raab [everyone Googles “Scott Raab”]

10. When’s the last time OSU ran a good pick and roll? Have they run one all year? THe last two years?

11. Keiton is going to have the all-time minutes record in OSU history? Really?

12. If Cobbins can get 2-3 more low post moves and add some weight, he’s going to be terrific on offense for the next three years. His turnaround lefty hook thingy is really pretty.

13. Where was Soucek?

14. I love Markel at the point, trust me, but he needs to learn to hit people off the drive like he did near the end of the game when he found Cobbins for a slam.

15. I was prepping a “Keiton shouldn’t be considered a great shooter” post in my head and then he went nuts in the last five minutes. Still think he’s a pretty overrated shooter.

Markel from halfcourt here?

Next game: Saturday in Stillwater against Texas