Missouri basketball showed surprising vulnerability in Arkansas loss. Here’s where UA thrived

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Mizzou coach Dennis Gates dissected the loss neatly.

Turnovers. Free throw attempts.

A cursory glance at the box score indicates he’s right. No. 16/15-ranked Tigers scored 16 fewer points off turnovers and shot 20 fewer free throws than Arkansas in a 92-85 loss Saturday at Bud Walton Arena.

“That’s the game, guys,” Gates said postgame.

Losses happen. Especially on the road. And, as Gates also said postgame, this was a “self-inflicted” one in many ways.

But what the Razorbacks did to end Mizzou’s three-game winning streak showed a glimmer of vulnerability — a rare look for a team that drew a sudden swath of national attention for dicing up Alabama to the tune of 110 points on Wednesday back in Columbia.

More: Alabama couldn’t stop Missouri basketball’s offense. When MU plays like that, can anyone?

More: ‘I guess they like what they see’: How Missouri basketball is handling new national attention

What Arkansas did, as John Calipari’s team revived its NCAA Tournament ambitions, was deliver a healthy dose of teach tape on how to swarm and swat the surging Tigers.

Look at how the Razorbacks shot 20 more free throws than Mizzou to score 15 extra points from the line.

Sure, the Razorbacks benefited greatly from a 2-of-12 day from 3-point range for Caleb Grill, who didn’t score in the second half. Yes, it helped that Missouri went 4-of-17 from that range in the second half.

But that appeared to be by design. Missouri has thrived by being multiple in recent weeks. The Tigers can burn you outside, and when they’re at their best they can burn you inside.

The Razorbacks essentially made MU’s offense one-dimensional by taking away lanes to the rim, as Mizzou went 8-of-16 shooting layups and were outscored in the paint 44-28. Arkansas limited a major piece of what has made the Tigers tick, and MU failed to supplant that with sustained production behind the arc.

“At the end of the day,” Gates said. “We settled for those 3s because we were not…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/missouri-basketball-showed-surprising-vulnerability-090055004.html

Author : Columbia Daily Tribune

Publish date : 2025-02-23 09:00:00

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