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Missouri Tigers Basketball In A Bad Way… And That’s Ok

By Derek Franks

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11 straight losses.

Make it 12 if you consider what will likely go down tonight.

The Missouri Tigers basketball program is in a dark place right now. And if you consider predictions from many a expert before the season began, it’s gone much according to the script. Well… many will argue it’s going even worse.

Anderson has had a rough first season as the Missouri Tigers basketball coach. But he deserves more time. Mandatory Credit: Dak Dillon-USA TODAY Sports

A mass production cotton candy factory doesn’t have enough sugar to sugarcoat this season for the Tigers. Things are bad. Really bad.

To give you some perspective, the numbers are downright horrifying to look at, but at the risk of causing blindness, let’s look at them.

You don’t get much worse than last place. That’s where the Tigers find themselves in the standings and in the stat sheets.

Mizzou (7-18, 1-11 SEC) ranks dead last in the SEC in offensive efficiency, points per game, points total, rebounds per game, fouls per game, free throw shooting and in forcing turnovers.

The bad performance has accumulated to what has become a historically bad season for the Tigers. The current 11-game losing streak is one of the worst in program’s existence. You have to go back to the 1966-67 Tigers to find a losing streak worse than 9.

Wincing in pain yet?

The Tigers are scoring a wretched 61.1 points per game in 2014-15. That ranks a sultry 311th in the nation. That’s behind powerhouse team’s like Fordham and Le Salle.

In fact, ranking in the “TOP 300” is actually a theme for the Missouri Tigers basketball team this year. Check the shooting percentage of 40.4, putting them at 301st in the nation. Or the points per possession of .95 (302nd). Or the offensive efficiency of 95.2 (304th).

Pretty much anywhere you look, Mizzou is in the lowest class of basketball this season. And it’s been tough to watch. Tough to watch the Tigers get manhandeled by schools like Mississippi State. Tough to see the empty gold seats at Mizzou arena. Tough all over.

But panic not, Mizzou nation. Just because this season has gone right down the tubes from the getgo, doesn’t mean that these hard times are here to stay.

Missouri Tigers
Missouri Tigers /

Missouri Tigers

Keep in mind what this team is. We knew what we were getting into before the first tipoff. We certainly knew after that first tipoff was in a game that resulted in an Mizzou loss to UMKC.

The team is young, small, and lacks the athleticism to keep up in this challenging conference. Remember that the team is being guided by new coaching.

First-year head coach Kim Anderson has had to use this as a learning season as well, as he gets his first division 1 experience under his belt. Remember that he is defensive minded, and that offense is something that requires talented offensive players– that which Mizzou just honestly doesn’t really have.

Remember that this is not Anderson’s team. It’s a team assembled by the clueless Frank Haith, who couldn’t recruit a player if he was already on his roster. It’s a team that has a couple of freshman that will likely grow and come into their own in the future. And as the school regroups after 2015, they will find a way to fix the errors that have plagued them.

Many have already called for Anderson’s head. Slow down. Every coach is going to face growing pains. When his entire team is also dealing with them, it’s difficult to see that team going any other way than bad. Really bad.

So be patient. Give this program a chance. This isn’t a quick fix. It takes time. It could take two years; three, maybe four. Who knows. But this isn’t the end of the road. Just the beginning of a long road ahead.

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