Southeastern Conference play has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride for Mizzou. Standing at 4-4 in league play, the Tigers have struggled to establish stability. They will have an opportunity to do so when they face two of the weaker teams in the conference, Mississippi State and South Carolina, in consecutive games.
Teetering on the bubble
Mizzou is coming off a road loss to Alabama in which it was defeated by its second-widest point margin of the season, 26, with the Crimson Tide easily handling Missouri 90-64. The Tigers also tallied their third-lowest offensive scoring output of the season, with the defeats to now-No. 14 Kansas and now-No. 9 Illinois being the only two that yielded fewer points.
Mizzou’s season is currently on the edge of breaking in either direction. As of Monday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Tigers as the first of four teams in the “Next Four Out” portion of the bracket projection. To put things bluntly, the Tigers are up against it, but there is still a path toward a tournament berth.
What the Bulldogs bring to the table
Mizzou will be facing Mississippi State (11-10, 3-5), which is coming off a convincing 80-66 road win over LSU on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs were led in the win by junior guard Josh Hubbard, who scored 15 points, dished out three assists and grabbed two boards.
Hubbard has been a constant for Mississippi State this season, averaging 20.7 points a game as well as 3.6 assists. Following him is experienced senior guard Jayden Epps. Epps, a transfer from Georgetown, is averaging 14.8 points per game on an average of 27.3 minutes a night.
Anchoring the paint for the Bulldogs is another highly experienced college player in senior center Quincy Ballard. Ballard made stops at Florida State and Wichita State before making his way to the SEC. His 6.8 rebounds per game will provide a real challenge for Mizzou’s Shawn Phillips Jr.
Battle in the backcourt
Facing a dynamic guard duo presents another opportunity for sophomore T.O. Barrett. Barrett made the second start of his career in the loss to Alabama. He led the Tigers in scoring with 13 points and dished out four assists.
Barrett also equaled his season total from 3-point range, shooting 2-for-3 from deep, hitting on back-to-back possessions.
“What you see now is the development of a guard in our system,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said on “Tiger Talk” on Wednesday night. “And T.O. Barrett, that stat line he’s averaging is great.”
Barrett’s increase in minutes comes in conjunction with a period of struggle for junior guard Anthony Robinson II.
Robinson once again stumbled in the loss to Alabama, scoring just five points on 2-for-4 shooting.
Regardless of Robinson’s recent slack, Gates maintains his confidence in one of his more experienced players.
“I do believe Ant Robinson will get through his slump,” Gates said. “But the biggest thing is getting these guys on the same page at the same time to maximize our team’s potential.”
Mizzou takes on Mississippi State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
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