Tigers Thrash Midshipmen, Improve to 9-0
By Ben Wilson
As the Tigers have received national attention in the spotlight for their dominant wins over Notre Dame, California, and Villanova, it has become clear that the biggest obstacle facing the team is avoiding a let down against an inferior opponent; However, the Tigers jumped all over the Navy Midshipmen early and often at Mizzou Arena Saturday afternoon, and rolled to an 84-59 victory.
The Tigers remained balanced offensively, as all five starters scored in double digits. And even though big man Ricardo Ratliffe played efficiently and stayed out of foul trouble, Steve Moore still put in 16 minutes off the bench and scored seven points, keeping Ratliffe fresh for the whole game.
While Mizzou was able to spread the ball around, the Midshipmen only had one source of production the entire game: Sophomore J.J. Avila, who poured in 26 of the team’s 59 points on 10 of 13 shooting. Despite shutting down all other facets of Navy’s offense and forcing 14 turnovers, it was obvious that the Tigers could not handle the 6 foot 7 forward’s versatility. Avila was in control not only inside the paint, but also from long distance, as he connected on four of seven three pointers.
Looking ahead, it is clear that Avila won’t be the last all-around big man the Tigers will have to face, and guys like Thomas Robinson of Kansas and Perry Jones III of Baylor pose much bigger threats. Of course, much of Avila’s production came with the game already out of hand, when the Tiger’s weren’t at their most intense level defensively, so it’s unfair to say that Mizzou is unprepared and undersized to handle these types of players.
Next on the Tigers’ docket, Kennesaw State of the Atlantic Sun conference will make the long trek from Georgia to Mizzou Arena on Thursday night in what should be a cakewalk for the Tigers. The Owls are 2-5, and lost their only matchup against a ranked team when they were blown out 85-31 at Wisconsin.
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