The Tigers fell 76-71 to Notre Dame on Tuesday night, and despite some positives, the game also showed some major flaws in Missouri's armor this year. Here are three major things that stood out in the loss.
1. The stars need some help
Mark Mitchell and Jacob Crews combined for 48 of the team's 71 points in the loss. The pair shot 50% from the field, while the rest of the team was just 38% from the floor. Crews hit five threes on the night and Mitchell nailed his first of the year. No other Tiger made a three. While it's great to see such a dynamic duo be able to take control of games, they've got to get a little bit more help until Jayden Stone is able to return from injury.
2. Maybe the easy non-conference schedule was a mistake
The Tigers were very streaky against Notre Dame, and often had rotational miscues and mistakes on offense. Missouri had 12 turnovers, and had their worst shooting performance of the season. Obviously the game still came down to the wire, but it's fair to wonder if the Tigers could have used a few more tune-ups before playing Notre Dame and Kansas back-to-back. We'll have the answer on Sunday.
3. Different year, similar results
In the first big game of the season, the same issues that have plagued Dennis Gates' teams in the past reared their ugly heads. Defensive miscues, including on the game winning shot for Notre Dame, have felt like they've been a problem time after time in big moments and Tuesday night was no different. Gates continues to be a great recruiter, but the play on the court has yet to yield better results. Time will tell if this Missouri team can clean things up before the conference schedule.