Looking back: Mississippi State in SEC Tournament
Here’s a chance for a few extra stats and thoughts that couldn’t make it into the initial thoughts or game story last night.
Aidan Shaw
I was able to mention a Shaw moment or two in the game story, as well as the fact that he played his most minutes (12) since Alabama State (19). He hadn’t played 10 minutes in a conference game and had only played more than 5 twice.
So popping in with four rebounds, three points and a massive block while playing because of injuries in a must-win situation was crucial.
I don’t know if I would say he was the key to the game or anything like that, but he played a crucial part after not being a major part of the team in nearly four months.
He showed up when he needed to.
“I’m extremely proud of Aidan Shaw and his production and what he was able to do in his 12 minutes of play,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said.
Turnovers
We’re going to do a bit of a compliment sandwich here. Bad news in the middle.
Winning the turnover battle was such a major key for Missouri during the best stretch of the season. Wreaking havoc on defense, playing fast in transition and keeping teams off balance was a huge part of the game plan.
The Tigers lost the turnover battle against Mississippi State 14-8, lost the battle for points off those opportunities 15-11 and allowed the Bulldogs to stay involved with an extra 11 total shots from the field on those extra chances, plus the amount of offensive rebounds allowed.
Mizzou has won the turnover battle just twice (South Carolina and Vanderbilt) and the battle for points off turnovers just once (South Carolina) in the past six games.
If the Tigers want to be a threat next week, that’s how it’s going to happen. They have to get back to the strategy that worked so well for them earlier in the year and a big part of that will be Ant Robinson staying out of foul trouble.
It was so clear when he came back in last night that he powers that portion of the defense. Missouri needs him to play more than 20 minutes in important games instead of the 14 he played Thursday.
Individual performances
I talked a bit about Tamar Bates and Tony Perkins in the game story and initial thoughts, but let’s dive into some more individual performances and their importance.
For Bates, 25 points marked the first time he led the Tigers in scoring since Feb. 8 against Texas A&M and it was the most he’s had since putting up 26 against Ole Miss on Jan. 25. His 25 points is tied for fourth most by a Tiger in an SEC Tournament game.
For Josh Gray, 12 rebounds was a new season high and is the second highest mark in program history in an SEC Tournament game. It marked the 11th time Gray led the Tigers in rebounding this year and the 11 boards he grabbed on defense tied Kobe Brown’s program record in an SEC Tournament game.
For Robinson, four assists in just 14 minutes played marked the 14th time this season he has led or co-led the Tigers in assists. He tied with Perkins, who has led or co-led the team 10 times this season.
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