‘Reality checks’: What is solution to Missouri basketball’s recurring defensive woes?

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NORMAN, Okla. — The change hasn’t escaped Caleb Grill.

How could it?

No. 19/15-ranked Missouri basketball, for the third straight road game, got beaten up defensively on the inside during its 96-84 loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday night. In almost exactly the same fashion as Arkansas and Vanderbilt before them, the Sooners scored 48 points in the paint and made 25 of their 26 free throw attempts to get the job done.

That, if you’re counting, marks three straight road games where Mizzou (21-9, 10-7 SEC) has underperformed in the same place.

Grill has seen it, because he also saw what the majority of games prior to this ragged run looked like.

And with the postseason coming, that’s going to require some introspection.

“Just looking at ourselves in the mirror, and we’ve gotta have reality checks with each one of ourselves,” Grill said. … “We were the more hungry team for the first 25 games we played this year. And the last couple games we’ve played, … we haven’t had that same aggression, hunger. So, we’ve just got to get back to what we were doing, get back to our identity.”

From the opening tip Wednesday night in Norman, it was obvious that MU’s recent unwanted trend was resurfacing.

Arkansas scored 44 points in the paint and shot 37 free throws, making 28, when they beat the Tigers by seven points two Saturdays ago in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Vanderbilt matched OU’s 48 paint points and made 21-of-24 free throws.

That means Oklahoma marked the third straight Mizzou loss where the opponent put up 40 or more points in the paint and shot more than 20 free throws.

Why are the Tigers getting worked inside?

Mizzou coach Dennis Gates called the Sooners an NCAA Tournament team, was complimentary of Oklahoma’s ability to defend its home court, and praised his brother, OU assistant coach Armon Gates, for recruiting “one of the best point guards in the country” in freshman star Jeremiah Fears to Norman. Fears had a game-high 31 points.

But Oklahoma didn’t only have to…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/reality-checks-solution-missouri-basketball-061658683.html

Author : Columbia Daily Tribune

Publish date : 2025-03-06 06:16:00

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