Live by the jumper?
Die by the jumper.
Photo courtesy Dan Turner/PowerMizzou
Mizzou rode a 27-of-71 shooting night (38 freakin' percent) to a six-point loss at Mizzou Arena to the third-ranked Jayhawks, squandering a glorious chance to upset Kansas on a night where they didn't seem at their best. The ESPN recap, video, and box score can be found here. Now, on to the Good, Bad, and Indifferent.
GOOD
- Leo Lyons: Lyons got in early foul trouble and was the victim of a few suspect calls in the second half, but his presence on the floor was undeniable and he was one of the only Tigers to be consistently effective inside.
- Stefhon Hannah: Number 3 was all over the floor, especially defensively, forcing turnovers and looking a little bit more like the player most of us expected all year. Hannah was able to muster 23 points on a night that only he and Lyons could muster double digits.
- Vaidotas Volkus: I wish you could have seen the look on my face when I heard he was starting and when I saw him matched up against Darrell Arthur for the tip. You should have then seen my face when he was one of the only Mizzou players able to consistently hit open jumpers. Repeat this phrase without laughing: Volkus was one of Mizzou's main offensive threats.
- Jason Horton: Is anyone doing a documentary on his career revival in Big 12 play yet? Horton was 3-of-4 and made me wish (gulp) that he'd actually shoot more.
- Energy: Mizzou came out flying and focused and fed off the energy of the rivalry game atmosphere. The team proved it can be tough to beat at Mizzou Arena - now if only that toughness could be bottled for Big 12 road trips...
BAD
- Matt Lawrence: I loved the kid last year when he became the second coming of Steve Kerr, but it's time for No. 33 to sit. I know Lawrence is there to jack up triples and the only way to get him on a roll is to let him shoot, but his ineffectiveness tonight shooting coupled with suspect defense and little commitment to rebounding cost the Tigers big tonight. 1-for-9 from distance won't get it done.
- Fouls, fouls, fouls: Mizzou would have been out of the game early if Kansas had been knocking down free throws. Kansas earned its way into the bonus early in both halves and was thus able to slow down the pace of play.
INDIFFERENT
- Kansas was no where near its true form: They had spurts where they looked like the Jayhawks we expected, but for most of the night, Kansas just didn't look comfortable or in sync. Mizzou's poor shooting and foul trouble cost them an upset bid waiting to happen.
- Demarre Carroll: Maybe expectations were a big too high for Carroll, but although his offense was a little lacking, Carroll's go-for-broke style inside and commitment to rebounding is something this Mizzou team sorely needs more of.
- Keon Lawrence, Marshall Brown, Darryl Butterfield: Non-factors.
I know there's a lot I'm missing - especially since I have as many Bad/Indifferent as I do Good - so help me out here in the comments...