After two straight defeats to Notre Dame and Kansas were followed up by an underwhelming 85-77 win against Alabama State, the Tigers needed a response.
Spearheaded by Mark Mitchell and Anthony Robinson II, Missouri cruised to an 82-60 blowout victory over Bethune-Cookman Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena, in what will be the final home victory of the year for the Tigers.
Outmuscling BCU on both ends of the floor, the Tigers used their size to their advantage, out-rebounding their opposition 34-20 overall and 21-12 on the defensive end.
BCU coach Reggie Theus, when asked about what goes into the approach of dealing with the size of Missouri smiled and chuckled before giving his response.
"You just have to lean on their personal competitiveness," Theus said. "I try to give them my perspective as a player, and I take everything personally, and you have to take it personally. You may get a shot, but you're gonna get that shot, you may get a rebound, but you gotta get this rebound, and that's hard to give guys that kind of mentality."
Robinson II also took advantage of Missouri's past two mid-major matchups to bounce back from his four previous below-par performances offensively.
"He's just settling in and learning how to play 30 minutes plus," Gates said. "Getting into game shape, although you think it's easy, but more so from not the physical, the mental and emotional, playing through fatigue, being able to make the right plays when you're tired, being able to understand when to rest right, especially during those TV media timeout opportunities."
Not having scored in the double digits for four straight games, a 19-point game against the Hornets, followed by 15 against BCU, set up Robinson nicely ahead of the Tigers' Braggin' Rights matchup against Illinois on Dec. 22.
Mitchell's team-leading point total of 19 marks the 11th straight time he has scored double digits. Jacob Crews once again proves to be the shooter's touch that the Tigers need off the bench, shooting an efficient 8-of-9 (not saying it) from field goal range, totaling 20 points.
Annor Boateng, knocking down a pair of three-pointers in the second half as well, showed that, outside of Crews, Missouri had another shooter from the perimeter.
"I think he allows the game to come to him, and not chase the game," Mizzou coach Dennis Gates said. "Those shots that he received were opportunity shots that he was prepared to knock down... I want to see him rebound a little bit more, but also from a ball pressure standpoint [on defense], you see deflections that he was able to get his length, his strength, and he just gives us versatility on both sides of the ball."
Tigers win despite continuing problems
It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows in a game where Missouri did many things well. The first half in particular saw the Tigers turn the ball over nine times. The flip side? Missouri also forced nine turnovers and capitalized with 13 points, while finishing the game with a 15-13 assist-to-turnover ratio, coughing up possession four times in the second half.
BCU also finished the game shooting 5-of-11 from 3-point range, a 50% clip, one game after allowing Alabama State to shoot 13-of-26 from outside. However, unlike against the Hornets, this game was never in reach for the visiting opposition.
That fact, along with a late cameo in the final 2:20 from the 7-foot-5 center Trent Burns, there's not a ton to complain about for Tiger fans about this victory. It's simply time for the games that matter a whole lot more.