Missouri Basketball: 3 keys to beating Utah State in the NCAA Tournament

It has been a while since Missouri Basketball had any NCAA Tournament success. The Tigers missed out on the NCAA Tournament last year, and haven’t won a game in the tournament since 2010. Their last win was as a 10-seed then they upset the 7-seed Clemson in the first round. Now Missouri, the 7-seed in the South Region, will try to stop an upset-minded Utah State team.

Missouri (24-9), winners of five of their last six games, are coming into the NCAA Tournament off a tough loss to top-seeded Alabama in the SEC Tournament Semifinals. Utah State (26-8), winners of seven of their last eight games, is looking to bounce back from a loss to San Diego State in the Mountain West Tournament Final.

Here are some keys for the Tigers to avoid an upset at the hands of the Aggies and advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

1. Don’t give up wide-open shots

Utah State has five players that average more than 10 points per game this season. The Aggies are led by junior guard Steven Ashworth who averages more than 16 points per game. Missouri’s defensive approach tends to leave players wide open when the Tigers are going all out for steals. If Missouri wants to win this game, they need to be aware of where Ashworth is on the floor at all times.

He has over 100 made threes on the year and hit 44.3 percent of his shots from behind the arc. As a team the Aggies are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, making 39.3 percent of their threes which ranked 5th in the nation. Missouri will have its hands full when it comes to slowing down this fast-paced high-scoring offense.

2. Force Turnovers

Missouri is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to forcing turnovers and getting steals. The Tigers average 10.3 three steals per game and they force over 17 total turnovers per game. If Mizzou wants to keep this game in check they will need to pressure Utah State, forcing the Aggies into making bad passes. Utah State turns the ball over roughly 12 times per game, it Missouri can capitalize on these turnovers and get some fast break points they should be in a good spot to win this game.

3. Make the most of offensive possessions 

The Tigers will need to take advantage of an Aggies team that only averages 5 steals per game. This Utah State defense doesn’t force teams into a ton of turnovers either, averaging 11.1 forced turnovers per game. Taking care of the ball and not committing unforced turnovers will only be beneficial for Missouri.

Much like Utah State, Missouri is also one of the better three-point shooting teams in the county. The Tigers average 9.4 made threes per game making 36.1 percent of their shots from behind the arc. One key number for Missouri is 10 made threes, on the season Mizzou has yet to lose when hitting 10 or more threes in a game.

The Tigers will need everyone to show up on offense to keep any hope of a tournament run alive, escpecially Kobe Brown (15.8 ppg) and D’Moi Hodge (14.8 ppg). Missouri is a tough team to beat when they are hitting shots.