Riding a respectable win over Mississippi State in the first round, head coach Dennis Gates and his team were tasked with matching up against one of the best teams in the NCAA this season, the Gators.
Ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 4 overall, there's a strong argument that Florida could have the most well-balanced roster in the country. They've dominated several of their opponents and emerged from conference play mostly unscathed, which is particularly impressive considering the talent in the SEC this year.
Mizzou did take down the Gators in a thrilling one-point victory earlier this season. That being said, beating a team twice in a single season, regardless of its caliber, is a tough task—especially one that has been consistently great all year long.
Florida got going right away, quickly pulling ahead of the Tigers, and that momentum carried throughout the game. It felt like Mizzou was constantly playing "catch-up" for most of the first half and into the second.
The Gators were able to pull away fairly effortlessly in the end, despite multiple runs by Mizzou to cut the lead down significantly. Florida came away with a 95-81 win and will move on to the next round of the tournament on Saturday evening, as they look to solidify a No. 1 seed in next week's NCAA Tournament.
Giving up 95 points just cannot happen, no matter the opponent. The Tigers' defense has been something to rave about all year long, but that wasn't the case on Friday night, as they allowed nearly 100 points.
Though the defense wasn't up to the usual standard for Gates's club, shooting from all over the court was the real reason they fell in the second round, particularly from long range.
All season long, the Mizzou roster has been filled with X-factors—players who can take over a game and lead the team to victory. Bench players, such as Caleb Grill, have demonstrated this consistently, with career years and some of the best shooting Tiger fans have seen in years.
However, that was unfortunately not the case on Friday night, as struggles from all over the court began early and didn't improve in the second half.
Mizzou hit 43% of their shots in the first half, which isn't a horrible mark, but when the Gators are converting 63% of their shots, it becomes a recipe for disaster. The below-average offense, paired with poor defense, led to a large deficit.
More shockingly, the Tigers connected on just two threes in the entire first half. They took 11, which is a solid number of attempts, but when those attempts result in just six points in the half, it won't help your case.
Mizzou has won games all year long with the three-ball, and it's almost expected that they will hit several in any given game. So, to not do so in one with this much weight is extremely disappointing and cannot happen in March Madness.
Another concerning aspect was the lack of adjustment by Gates at the half. Clearly, they were struggling from deep, but the game plan didn’t shift at all during the break, despite the deficit and low number of threes made.
They shot a slightly improved 45% from the field in the second half, showing their fight to get back into the game, which got within five deep into the half. However, the three-point issues remained.
Mizzou once again connected on just two three-pointers in the second half, this time on only five attempts. It's interesting to note that, despite their late deficit, they didn’t try to get back into the game from beyond the arc.
In total, they shot 4-of-16 from deep, good for 25% overall. Mizzou lives and dies by the three-point line, and on Friday night, they died by it.
Grill, who finished the game with 11 points, was the lone Tiger to convert more than one three-pointer, going 2-of-7 from deep. With the long break before the NCAA Tournament, hopefully, he'll be ready to hit far more than that in the first round.
The loss is upsetting, but with the way last season went, it's hard to be mad at Gates or anyone on the roster. They have flipped everything around from last season to now.
Mizzou can now sit back and watch the rest of the SEC Tournament play out, along with the other conference tournaments, as they await their March Madness seeding, which will be announced on Sunday during the Selection Sunday broadcast.
The Tigers will take time to practice, hoping for a high seed and a favorable first matchup, as they prepare for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2022-23 season, starting on Thursday.