Missouri’s return to an old Big 12 haunt turned into a nightmare Saturday.
Four days after nearly toppling No. 1 Auburn, the Tigers traveled to No. 23 Iowa State for the Big 12/SEC Challenge and couldn’t survive an early second-half avalanche at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones used a 15-0 spurt in the opening minutes of the second half to pull away for good, handing the undermanned Tigers a 67-50 loss.
Mizzou, now 8-12, has lost three in a row for the first time this season and five of six overall since upsetting Alabama three weeks ago. The Tigers fell to 2-3 all-time in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Similar to each of their last three losses, the Tigers were in control late in the first half but this time came undone after a rare technical foul on coach Cuonzo Martin. But against one of the nation’s most suffocating defenses in front of a rowdy crowd of 13,612, Mizzou’s point guard and ball-handling problems were again on display as the Tigers committed 18 turnovers. The Cyclones (16-5) feasted on the giveaways, turning MU’s turnovers into 23 points. ISU also bullied the Tigers inside, outscoring Martin’s team 32-12 in the paint.
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“We didn’t play tough enough and they brought the grit,” Tigers guard DaJuan Gordon said. “We just weren’t tough, strong enough with the ball.”
It didn’t help that Mizzou played all but six minutes without senior guard Javon Pickett, the team’s most consistent scorer lately. He left the game early in the first half after a head-to-head collision with Iowa State’s Izaiah Brockington. Pickett returned briefly later in the half but was back on the bench for the rest of the game. Pickett had scored in double figures in six consecutive games coming into Saturday. He didn’t attempt a shot in his limited action Saturday.
Martin said Pickett took the shot near his eye and had trouble seeing. He would undergo further testing once the team returned to Columbia, Martin said.
“He’s one guy who just gets us all together, makes sure everything's right,” said Gordon, who led MU with 15 points. “That’s when one of the other older guys like me, Kobe (Brown), Boogie (Coleman), we need to step up and be one of those guys to help lead the team.”
It wasn’t Brown. Once again, MU got next to nothing offensively from its leading scorer. Brown didn’t connect on his first and only field goal until six minutes were left in the game. He finished with a season-low three points, making just 1 of 8 shots from the field. It was his sixth game in single figures over MU’s last eight. The Tigers have lost all six.
“I simply say Kobe has to be better,” Martin said. “One for eight in 35 minutes. They had switches where they had point guards on Kobe. He has to take advantage of those opportunities. He’s got to get to the rim. He’s got to make quick moves. He’s got to get it off the glass. He’s got to drive the ball. If there’s two guys on a double you got to find open guys.”
“One for eight,” he added. “I think he’s a better talent than what his game showed tonight.”
Coleman wasn’t off the hook either. The point guard was whistled for two 10-second violations in the backcourt. On the first turnover, Iowa State trapped him behind the timeline, just like the Tigers expected in their scouting report. On the second violation, Coleman casually brought the ball up the floor late in the first half — with his coaches going berserk on the sideline nearly spilling onto the court as the official counted to 10.
“That one can’t happen," Martin said.
On ISU’s next possession, with Mizzou in front 29-28, Ronnie DeGray III was called for a blocking foul on Brockington. Martin exploded on the sideline, leading to his second technical foul this season. Martin never got a clear answer why he received the technical.
“I thought Ronnie jumped straight up. As I watched it on the monitor, I said, ‘He jumped straight up,’” Martin said. “That's what I said. I don't use cuss words. I didn't. So when it happened, I said, ‘That's not a foul.’ So I don't know where (the official) is. It’s not like I'm looking at him (and saying), ‘That's not a foul. That’s not a foul.’ I’m yelling and I'm actually watching the action. … I asked the other two officials, ‘Ask him what I said to him. I like to know it myself.’ And he gave me a technical foul like he was ready to give it to me. I mean, that's what it is.
“I said to the other (officials), ‘Just ask him what I said, because I'm not sure what I said.’ And I looked up at the monitor and said, ‘That’s not a foul. He jumped straight up.’ Maybe he was anxious and wanted to give me that. Because I didn’t do nothing I normally don’t do.”
Brockington hit all four free throws, giving the Cyclones a 32-29 lead. They never trailed again.
Martin, who rarely complains publicly about officiating, questioned the disparity in foul calls in MU’s game at Alabama last Saturday. But not one of Saturday’s three referees — Rick Crawford, Marques Pettigrew and Chance Moore — had officiated a Mizzou game this season. They’ve mostly worked games involving teams from the Big 12, Conference USA and Missouri Valley.
“Him getting a tech, that was my fault,” Gordon said. “I got backdoored (on the play), which shouldn't happen and led to that. But he fought for us, and in the end we tried to fight but we didn't fight strong enough. We owe Coach. We got to fight stronger for him.”
The Cyclones carried the momentum over to the second half, taking a 49-34 lead with a 15-0 run, sparked by three straight 3s from three different shooters. Mizzou never recovered.
“That’s something this team has struggled with all year,” Gordon said. “It's nothing with the opponent. It's all within Mizzou. … We have to be able to maintain the lead once we get up.”
What’s with Mizzou playing in neighboring states? The Tigers are now 0-4 on courts in states that border Mizzou — Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Iowa — with an average margin of 31.3 points. Silver lining: Mizzou plays only one more road game in a bordering state, at Vanderbilt on Feb. 8.
The Tigers resume SEC play Wednesday when they host Florida at Mizzou Arena. MU has beaten Florida each of the last two years.
CYCLONES WREAK HAVOC
Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger credited his team’s commitment to defense for his team’s eruption Saturday. After a 12-0 start in nonconference play, the best start by a first-year Big 12 coach since Mizzou’s Frank Haith in 2011, the Cyclones had lost five of their last eight heading into Saturday’s game.
But ISU won with defense in the second half, holding the Tigers to 18 points before Amari Davis’ last-second 3-pointer.
“Our guys were doing a great job setting the tone when the ball came over halfcourt, disrupting right away,” Otzelberger said. “We chart disruptions. It’s something that's really big for us. And we did that well. We communicated when we were switching screens to make sure we kept the body in front. But more than anything, it's demeanor, intent, body language. Just how determined are you to do that job? We're fortunate our guys really set out to do it. That's how you want it to be every single night what we need to demand it to be.”
TURNOVERS COSTLY AGAIN
Early on, Gordon gave Mizzou a quick lead with three straight jumpers. The Tigers soon struggled dribbling and passing through a stifling Iowa State defense and endured a scoring drought of nearly six minutes. Then the Tigers broke open an 11-2 run to take a 25-20 lead despite the turnover binge. DeGray scored six points in the stretch, three free throws on a fouled 3-pointer then a made 3-pointer off Coleman’s penetration and dish.
But the Tigers never led by more than five as turnovers cost them chances to build on that early momentum.
“Of course that affects you because you want to be able to set your defense and execute on the offensive side of the ball,” Martin said. “It’s simply being strong with the ball, being aggressive with the ball, making sound decisions, jump stopping in the paint. I think that's the next part in Boogie’s game, when he’s sped up, to be under control, even when sped up to jump stop and make sound decisions and utilize his size in those areas, especially with smaller guards.”
Saturday marked Mizzou’s eighth game this season with at least 17 turnovers. The Tigers are 1-7 in those games, with the only win coming in overtime against SMU.
MORE MINUTES FOR ROOKIES
Sophomore center Jordan Wilmore didn’t play for a fifth straight game. Nursing a back injury, he stayed back in Columbia, Martin said. With Pickett out, Martin gave more minutes than usual to freshman guards Anton Brookshire (nine) and Kaleb Brown (seven). Brookshire had played just one minute in MU’s last four games combined.
“Anton and Kaleb haven’t played a lot of minutes in those type of situations,” he said “That's not an easy thing to do. I'm not making excuses for them, but that’s not easy against an experienced team. So it's a learning lesson for us.”
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Mizzou fades away at Iowa State, drops third straight - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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