Missouri basketball has a problem. Point to rotations, poor defense, or inconsistent play as reasons for their up-and-down season, but one issue continues to rear its ugly head over and over again.
Against Alabama, the Tigers shot 34.8 percent from the free throw line. No, that's not a typo, Missouri really went 8-for-23 at the charity stripe in their 90-64 blowout loss to the Crimson Tide. If this were a one off game, it could easily be forgiven, but Mizzou now ranks 338th in the country in free throw percentage, and it's losing them games.
Mizzou struggles again from the free throw line, putting their season in jeopardy
Mizzou star Mark Mitchell went just 1-for-8 at the line against the Tide, but head coach Dennis Gates defended his star.
"You can't go on the road and go 8-23 from the free throw line. Mark Mitchell is not a 1-8 guy. But ultimately, that's where it was in those percentages," Gates said. "You gotta be able to execute, especially early, from that free throw line. And I think at that point, we would have had more than a three-minute lead if we had them. In addition to that, you see the ball go in the hole, you see it go in a little bit easier, and maybe that opens it up for a jump shot here or there."
The Tigers averaged a respectable 73 percent from the line last season, but have only eclipsed that mark five times this year through 20 games. It's a problem that hasn't, and won't be fixed this year, and it might be one of the most ridiculous reasons that a team misses the NCAA Tournament. Mizzou is currently on the outside looking in, and is quickly running out of time to make up for a weak non-conference schedule.