Mizzou vs. 3 Florida: 9 thoughts on a wild game
By COREY NOLES
When the Missouri Tigers travelled to Gainesville, Fla. Tuesday to face the Florida Gators, no one expected a victory. Of course, no one expected a Mizzou lead at the half either.
The Tigers hung in close with the Gators in the O-Dome until the last few minutes of the game when the margin stretched out to 10 points--where it stayed until the conclusion.
The Gators kept their 28-game home winning streak in tact and the Tigers fell to 4-5 in the SEC. While being upside down this late in the season isn't where the Tigers wanted to see their conference record, the odds are in their favor to finish considerably better overall.
Before we get to that, here are a handful of thoughts on Tuesday night's game against the Florida Gators and the remaining weeks of the season.
1. Mizzou defense solid early--stutters shaky Florida offense
The Tigers did a good job out of the gate Tuesday night of keeping the Gators from getting comfortable. Riding a 27-game home winning streak, the Gators looked awkward from the start. Missed passes, early turnovers and blown rebounds cost them early.
2. Brown 1/5 from the field in first 12.5 minutes
With Mizzou up by as many as six points 12 minutes into the game, they did it for the most part without star player Jabari Brown. Jordan Clarkson coming to life early helped Mizzou take advantage of the Gators' early mistakes.
3. Florida sloppy early, slapping the ball around
Through the majority of the first half, Florida looked less like a number 3 team and more like a 33. Careless play and poor shot selection ruled the first half and could easily have cost them the game.
4. The Kasey Hill-Chris Walker alley-oop to tie the game at 2 minutes in the first half
For the first time of the night, the O-Dome literally came to life--and Mizzou was feeling the pressure. A well-placed time-out by Haith saved the Tigers from what could have quickly become an early mental breakdown.
5. Jabari Brown comes to life with a 3 pt. bomb to give Mizzou a lead at the half.
Another Chris Walker dunk? Nah. Brown drops a three-pointer from beyond NBA-range to end this first half with a Mizzou. Coincidentally, it also ended ALL Florida cheers--for a little while.
6. Clarkson three to regain the lead at 17:03
The Gators came back from halftime out for blood and a pair of key shots gave Florida its first lead of the second half. Clarkson fixed that when he drained a super-clutch three to put Mizzou back on top for the final time of the game.
7. The "Frazier 3"
The final death knell for Mizzou came when Michael Frazier II drained four effortless three pointers in the second half. Frazier's second half performance showed exactly what Mizzou is missing--that last shot. They consistently hang in close with top-end teams, but can't seem to get through with that much needed knockout punch. To beat a team like Florida, that extra sting has got to be in place.
8. Florida shut down Jabari Brown
In the end, the game came down to the fact that Florida's defense shut down Jabari Brown. The Gators held Brown to 15 points on the heels of a six-game stretch where he averaged 25.8 PPG. If Brown was able to get a few more clean looks, this game could easily have been one of the most surprising upsets of the season.
9. Mizzou's remaining schedule is favorable
Outside of a pair of games against the Tennessee Volunteers, the remaining nine games on the Tiger's schedule are quite winnable. The Tennessee games are as well, but they're one of the more evenly matched contests left to go.
During that stint, the Tigers will have the opportunity to avenge a pair of ugly losses earlier in the season against Vanderbilt and Georgia. Those aren't teams Mizzou can afford to lose to twice and still be competitive in the SEC.
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