Mizzou got all it hoped for from Jordan Barnett and still lost to a bad Lispcomb team

Your Trifecta: Barnett-Geist-Puryear. Mizzou got a career-best game from Jordan Barnett, and it still wasn’t enough to beat a bad team.

Mizzou’s new, post-based offense led to the Tigers averaging more than a point per possession for the first time in five games. Mizzou got to the line 41 times and drew 30 fouls — that’s really hard to do in a loss. It usually only happens when you’re up and the opponent has to foul you at the end.

Overall, this worked out pretty well. And then Mizzou proceeded to miss four of six free throws in a key stretch with under two minutes to go. Combined with strangely shaky ball-handling and another hilariously awful performance from the 3-point line — 4-for-20 overall (2-for-5 for Geist, 2-for-15 for everyone else) — that was enough to tip the scales. Mizzou shot 41 free throws, dominated the glass, and still lost. To a bad team.

• I guess it does no good for me to point out that K.J. Walton once again had the highest per-minute production but still only played 15 minutes, does it? Or that Cullen VanLeer went 0-for-5 from the field and still played 23 minutes? I hate harping on this, but Kim Anderson is going out of his way to make sure we have to harp on it. Meanwhile, VanLeer’s confidence is at the bottom of a fiery pit.
• This was a best-and-worst game for Russell Woods. He has of late made himself far more of an offensive presence than any of us could have expected, and he grabbed five offensive rebounds last night. He also missed five of nine free throws and five of eight field goal attempts. Meanwhile, Reed Nikko managed to combine two blocks with two turnovers in just six minutes. That’s a high activity level right there, for better or worse.
• Efficient scoring (by this team’s standards, anyway) and 10 defensive rebounds? More of that, please, Jordan Barnett.
• Nice rebound appearance for Mitchell Smith after his deer-in-headlights performance against Illinois.

Not much else to say here. Mizzou has gotten an undeniable boost from Jordan Geist over the last two games and got exactly what it hoped to get from Jordan Barnett. And the Tigers still lost to what was by far the worst opponent left on the schedule.

This is dire. Very dire. I would say “We all know where this is heading,” but ... well ... I’ve already said it quite a few times, and there are still 18 regular season games remaining. I have to pace myself.