Missouri Basketball: Takeaways from wire-to-wire win over LSU Tigers

Missouri Basketball started hot hitting six of their first 12 threes. They then didn’t look back en route to a win over LSU to get SEC win number five.

On Wednesday night, Missouri Basketball looked to extend their winning streak coming off their biggest win of the year over Iowa State. The Tigers started extremely hot hitting six of their first 12 threes and leading 34-16 in the first half. LSU clawed at the lead late in the first half, but the game was never really in doubt. Mizzou kept the Bayou Bengals at an arm’s distance throughout the entire second half and despite Mizzou only winning by 10, the game never felt that close. There were some positives and negatives, but overall a solid team win for Dennis Gates’ team.

1. The offensive rebounding issue might never be solved

Let’s get the negative out of the way. Offensive rebounding will be a problem for Mizzou as the season gets to the home stretch, but controlling it could determine how successful this team ends up being. Mizzou gave up 15 offensive rebounds and 12 of them came from K.J. Williams and Derek Fountain.

While Gates will continue to play small because that’s the style that gives this team the best chance to win, they’re currently 361st in the country in allowing offensive rebounds. Mo Diarra getting more minutes could patch that issue, but it won’t permanently solve it. It simply might be a problem that Mizzou has to work around.

2. Dennis Gates and his staff don’t get enough credit for team’s development

Everyone will talk about the recruiting that the staff did in the off-season, but the development of this team doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. Kobe Brown is exhibit A of the development. Brown shot around 20% from three last season and this season he’s around 44%. If a player has his three-point percentage go up by four or five percent in a year, that’s good development. 24% in one year is out of this world good. It isn’t just Brown either. Noah Carter’s offensive game has vastly improved as well as some of the other transfers. While recruiting was key to this team making this kind of jump, development might have been even more of a factor.

3. Kobe Brown should be in the conversation for SEC Player of the Year

Just to clarify, I am not saying he should win the award. Brandon Miller for Alabama has been the favorite for quite some time now. However, Brown‘s offensive rating of 127.5 is 40th in the country and he impacts the game in so many ways. He’s nationally ranked in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage as well as steal percentage.

He’s been an unbelievably efficient player this year and has been the heart and soul of this Missouri team. Gates always credits the team as a whole for their success, but without Brown, the Tigers could have a much different outlook on this season.