By Brant Daughtry
Let me start by saying what a relief it is to be back in the office. I’ve been stuck at home following a Covid diagnosis for the past week, and was getting tired of, 1. feeling like I was at half-speed the whole week, and 2. being cooped up in my house. Being back to feeling like myself is a blessing, and I’m excited to be back to normal. With that said, let’s talk about Mizzou.
Back in the Saddle
The Tigers of Missouri are coached by Dennis Gates, who is in his inaugural season. Gates comes over from Cleveland State, where he led the Vikings to two Horizon league championships over three years. He also spent several years as an assistant at Florida State, gaining a name as an excellent recruiter.
He’s got the Tigers in a good place, as they’re 19-6, and hold the 45th spot in the NET rankings. They also have four Quad 1 wins, including a last second buzzer beater against top-10 Tennessee. They’re a really good offensive team, scoring 82 points per game, good for 13th in the country.
Players to Watch For:
Forward Kobe Brown, #24- Brown is the do-it-all guy for Mizzou. He leads Missouri in points and rebounds, with 16.5 and 6.1 respectively. He’s also in the top three on the team for assists. He’s 6’8″, and shoots well from three point range as well. He’s a scary all-around wing who’s going to do damage.
Guard D’moi Hodge, #5- Hodge is on the floor to score. and score he does. He averages 14.1 points per game, second most on the team. Where he’s scariest is from the arc, where he’s shooting a blistering 39%, and attempting seven per game. Auburn does a really good job of covering on the perimeter and making teams beat them from two. They’re going to need more of that to hold down Hodge.
Auburn is in a slump. It’s equal parts quality of competition, poor play, and bad luck with officiating, but it’s a slump nonetheless. The good news is, you’ve made it out of the toughest part of your schedule with your tournament hopes still firmly intact. Bad news is that you now have very little wiggle room for the remainder of the season. You can’t have any bad losses. Taking care of business is now paramount. Missouri is a really good team, but they’re not as good as the teams you’ve just played. The schedule isn’t easy, but it is easier. You desperately need to go on a run here.
