After losing two games away from home and falling out of the top 25 last week, Missouri basketball needed a rebound.
The Tigers got that with an upset against No. 25 Arkansas at Mizzou Arena.
Several facets of the win were impressive: Missouri finished the game on a 22-9 run, erased a 10-point deficit and overcame a massive outrebound in a game where fouls and criticisms disrupted any offensive rhythm.
Now MU has a chance for another surprise as No. 4 Alabama comes to Columbia. The Tigers did this last year, upsetting No. 15 Alabama at Mizzou Arena. This year the tides are bigger and better, and the emphasis on bigger is where
“They’re weathered,” Gates said. “They have a natural talent. They can take shots. They don’t rely on one source of attack.”
MU has gone in a similar direction.
The Tigers have the second most 3-pointers in the SEC on Friday and are the most efficient scoring team in the conference.
Kobe Brown has maintained his ability to be a tough goalscorer at the post but shot the ball better this year. D’Moi Hodge earned himself the All-SEC talk with his breakneck speed and ability to convert steals into quick points.
The cast behind Brown and Hodge also fills in the gaps. Noah Carter, who missed the Arkansas game due to health and safety protocols, will be available on Saturday. Isiaih Mosley, who hasn’t played consistently this season, seems ready to be picked up more consistently.
Gates said Friday that the team has embraced Mosley all season up to this point. Mosley said he was ready to play, and Gates honors that.
“At that point he said, ‘Coach, I’m ready,'” Gates said. “You have to give people space.”
With Mosley potentially factoring in more consistently and players like Mohamed Diarra making their way into the rotation, Gates can get closer to the point where he wants his team not up to his standards.
“I haven’t seen my team play well,” Gates said. “I’m not in an everyday mindset. I am in the big picture.
Alabama Basketball at a Glance
Recording: 16-2 overall, 6-0 in SEC
The tides are impressive. Not just overall, but at this very moment of the season.
Missouri leads the SEC in some offensive categories. Alabama is either a leader in the other categories or a direct leader.
The Crimson Tide’s only two losses went to the top-20 teams of then-No. 20 Connecticut and then-No. 15 Gonzaga, both on neutral sides. Although the loss to Gonzaga happened in Birmingham, Alabama, thanks to that aforementioned offense, Alabama hasn’t lost since.
Brandon Miller will be the biggest catalyst on The Tide’s offense. The 6-foot-9 freshman forward averages 20.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Even more frightening is that Miller has a 46.3 3-point shooting percentage this year. His 20.1 points per game leads the SEC.
“I still think he’s not where he’s going to be,” Gates said of Miller. “He has confidence.”
There are three newcomers, Miller, Jaden Bradley and Noah Clowney, who are three of the Tide’s top four scorers. Junior guard and Ohio transfer Mark Sears adds a veteran presence with a 40.2 3-point shooting percentage.
Alabama has averaged 84.6 points per game in its six SEC games and 84 points per game in 18 games. It is second only to Missouri’s 84.1 points per game.
But that’s not the most worrying statistic.
Catch up elsewhere
Missouri is currently last in the SEC in rebound. Alabama is currently the SEC’s top rebounding team.
Gates has previously talked about addressing that recovering deficit by being sharp in every other area, but with a team as good at recovering as Alabama is, closing that deficit could be a tall order shut down. MU made it against Arkansas.
Alabama coach Nate Oats challenged the Tide to perform better on the rebound end as well.
“Let’s hope the rebound isn’t something we need to look further into,” Oats told reporters last week. “Let’s address it, it was great today, let’s try to make sure it’s great at Vanderbilt.”
The biggest area MU needs to at least close is the offensive rebound stat. Losing the defensive rebound lead means more opportunities for second chance points, but also allows the opponent to control the pace of the game.
Missouri, who thrive on their fast pace and ability to score on transitions, need to control that pace. Forward Kobe Brown said Friday that winning the offensive rebound game was just in a desire to win the matchup.
“You have to want it more,” Brown said.
Gates has said several times a year that MU isn’t playing well or at the level he wants the team to be. It’s an idea of the standard he wants to set in Colombia.
However, Friday Gates did mention how the overall success is coming close to the standard he has set. Getting closer to that standard would mean more wins like Wednesday’s, where MU just added its tournament resumé.
A win over Alabama, which would be an upset win in the top five, would only propel MU’s resume to the top of the pile.
“I’m excited about the possibility of this happening in 2023,” Gates said.