Mizzou Hoops Finishes Regular Season After Drowsy Effort vs. No. 19 Kentucky

After three losses in their previous five games, Mizzou was hoping to finish strong at home against a tough SEC opponent. Head coach Dennis Gates and his team are looking for a win to get back on track and improve their seed heading into next week's SEC Tournament.

The teams began the game by showing why they’re considered evenly matched, with both offenses being stifled by strong defenses. Mizzou's defense was bolstered by 7-foot center Josh Gray, who earned the start over Trent Pierce for the first time in over a month. Pierce checked in for Gray five minutes into the game.

After taking an early 5-3 advantage, the Tigers brought in sharpshooting Caleb Grill, one of the best shooters in the country this season, to a standing ovation from the home crowd. He quickly drained a three-pointer, and along with Tony Perkins, ran much of the early offense, helping the home team maintain control of the lead.

The Wildcats opened the game shooting 1-for-6 from the field and committed multiple turnovers, including a 24-second violation forced by Mizzou, while enduring a scoring drought that lasted over five minutes in the early stages.

Kentucky broke out of its scoring drought by draining a couple of three-pointers, cutting the lead down to 11-10. Both defenses remained constant threats, limiting scoring for both teams. Halfway through the first half, the Tigers were shooting 24% from the field, while the Wildcats were shooting 23%, with neither side finding consistent offensive success.

After another three-pointer and star Otega Oweh's first bucket of the game, Kentucky took their first lead at 15-11, capping off an 11-0 run that led to a Mizzou timeout. During this run, the Tigers also committed four turnovers and connected on just 1 of 8 attempts from the field. Gray ended the drought with a strong dunk that ignited the arena.

It seemed that every time Mizzou scored a bucket or made a strong defensive stand to seize the momentum, the Wildcats found a way to take it back. After Kentucky took the lead midway through the half, they maintained control for the remainder of the half, though the margin stayed within one or two possessions.

The Tigers were down 38-29 after one of their lower-scoring and less efficient halves of the season. Mark Mitchell finished the half strong, leading all scorers with 12 points and adding a team-high 5 rebounds.

Mizzou converted 7 of their 20 attempted threes in the first 20 minutes of play, a stat that would need to improve significantly if they hoped for a second-half comeback.

Despite the slow offense, the defense was solid in the first half, forcing 6 turnovers and limiting Kentucky's best player, Oweh, to just 2 points on 1-for-6 shooting. If the defensive effort continued and the offense improved slightly, the Tigers could easily take control of the game.

The second half started much like the first, with both teams matching buckets. The offense was decent, but the defense remained strong on both sides.

Mitchell added 6 points within the first few minutes of the second half, bringing his total to 18. Meanwhile, the Wildcats' offense found a good rhythm, extending their lead to 49-37, the largest of the afternoon at that point. Their lead would peak at 15 later in the half.

Jacob Crews sparked some life into Mizzou Arena when he drained his first three-pointer of the night with 14 minutes to play. The Tigers followed this with a Mitchell and-one on the next possession, but the Kentucky lead remained at 13.

Crews stepped up in this game, quickly adding 7 points to the stat sheet. Known primarily as a perimeter threat, he showcased his versatility during this stretch, finding ways to score inside the paint.

The home offense provided a few runs, including a stretch of five straight made baskets midway through the second half. However, the Wildcats always seemed to be a step ahead, as their lead stayed at 14, even during this run.

Grill and senior guard Marques Warrick each added a three-pointer, as the Tigers shot 5-for-8 from deep in the first 13 minutes of the second half, a significant improvement from the first half. This cut the lead back down to 9, the lowest it had been all half.

A couple of clutch buckets later, Kentucky was forced to call a timeout as their lead was trimmed to just 5, at 66-61, with 6 minutes to play. Mitchell and Warrick facilitated the offense, contributing most of the points and showcasing the improvements made during halftime under Gates.

As hard as Mizzou worked to fight back into the game, they couldn't overcome their mistakes, giving up turnovers and missing shots they’ve hit all season. They also committed several fouls in the clutch, putting the Wildcats in the bonus and allowing them to score multiple late points off free throws.

Though Crews added another three to reach 10 points and cut the Kentucky lead to 6 with a minute and a half to go, the Tigers couldn’t stop the Wildcats late. They narrowly lost, 91-83, marking four losses in their final five games and an unbelievably disappointing end to what had been a hot season.

Mitchell had a strong outing offensively, finishing with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and no turnovers. He received solid support from Warrick and Crews, who contributed 17 and 12 points, respectively, on efficient shooting.

That being said, arguably the two best players apart from Mitchell, Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill, combined for just 16 points—certainly not the formula for success against a team of this caliber.

Overall, the game wasn’t bad, and the effort was certainly there. The season is far from over. Mizzou will continue to look ahead to the SEC Tournament, where they will likely be a 7 or 8 seed, before moving into the NCAA Tournament in a couple of weeks.

If Gates and the Tigers can find a way to put it all together, this is absolutely a team that can make a run in March.