Missouri 81, Vanderbilt 59: First-half run keys easy Tiger victory

Good things happen when you make your 3s. Earlier in the week, Missouri made just one of 14 first-half 3-pointers and fell behind South Carolina by double digits before rallying. This time around, Mizzou made eight 3-balls in the first half, 11 for the game, and rolled to an 81-59 win over Vanderbilt. The Tigers made an incredible 35-4 run, turning a tie game into a 46-15 laughter, then put it on cruise control for the last 23 minutes. Jabari Brown scored 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting (4-for-8 on 3-pointers) to lead the way, but Earnest Ross also made three of six from long range, Phil Pressey two of four. Oh yeah, and Negus Webster-Chan even made one!!

Of course, even if the long balls weren't going in, Mizzou knew pretty early on that Vandy had no answer for Alex Oriakhi. The senior had 18 points and 12 rebounds to power the inside game, and the result was a true inside-out offense.

Despite five games without Laurence Bowers, Mizzou stands at 15-4 with Bowers potentially coming back mid-week versus LSU. There are worse things in the world than that. WHAT SAY YOU, DR. SOYOYE?