mizzou basketball

Before I start, my disclaimer is that I love the mizzou basketball team and go to every home game. But I'm being completely honest in this one.

Lets be honest, the men's basketball team is less than impressive during away games. It's very frustrating seeing your team lose every Big 12 game on the road. With the exception of the most recent game against ku, who is a truly good team, they could have won those games. They plain and simple don't play good on the road. This was evident by the fact that they lost to Colorado on the road and won at home.

My theory (among many others) is that they get overwhelmed by away crowds and pressure. Every team plays better at home, but it seems more poignantly obvious with the basketball team. I saw how pumped up Kim English got when the crowd was on their feet and cheering for MU at our most recent home game. And stats speak for themselves: we're undefeated at home this season. It just seems that they get affected by away games more than they really should. And as a fan, it's frustrating.

The three other main problems that keep the team out of a high rank is their lack of 3 point shooting ability, lack of rebounds and tempo of the game. I've seen them throw away too many points, and lets be honest potential game winners, by missing a substantial amount of 3 point shots. Although I'm not one for excuses, lack of rebounds isn't fully their fault. In comparison to other teams, the majority of our players aren't horribly tall. With the exceptions being Steve Moore, Richardo Ratliffe and Justin Safford. But, still that's no excuse for being more aggressive for the rebounds. They also tend to rush the floor too much. They did an amazing job at the beginning of the ku game in slowing things down and not rushing the net quickly every possession. I believe this is why they were able to lead for a short time in the beginning of the game. When they rush the floor they make bad decisions, which tends to lead to a bad shot which the other team rebounds.

With that all said I love Phil Pressey and Marcus Denmon. Phil is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to beat on defense, and is so much fun to watch. I'm glad he's just a freshman and will be around for a while. It's gonna be exciting to see him as a senior when he's got a few years under his belt. And of course Denmon is just good all around. Next year is going to be a great year with a lot of the star players being seniors.