The Tigers started the game really struggling as they didn't even get a shot off on their first two trips down the floor and didn't score their first basket until five minutes had run off the clock. I was encouraged with the intensity that they brought to the second half as things went much better after halftime, but shooting 38% for the game is pretty ugly. I will do my usual run-down of the players, but will now go in order from who I liked the best on down.
Stefan Jankovic
I have been Jankovic's biggest critic to this point, but tonight he finally won me over. Why? Because he led the team in assists. The tallest player on the team was also the best passer in this particular game. 5 boards, 3 blocks, 2 steals, 4 assists and no turnovers from a 6'11" freshman? Okay, I give up. Grade: 9/10.
Earnest Ross
Ross started off slowly but turned it on in a big way, finishing with a nice double-double stuffing the stat sheet with all sorts of ridiculous numbers (7-8 from the field, 10 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 17 points). I especially liked the way he played in the second half where he was driving to the hoop and finishing. I hope to see more of this. Grade: 8/10.
Alex Oriakhi
Oriakhi is a nice addition to this team. He is the anti-Ratliffe in that he has absolutely no touch around the goal, but he is a mean dude if there is a rebound to be had. I'll take 12 and 10 from him any day, every day. Grade: 7/10.
Negus Webster-Chan
I thought I might be the biggest Webster-Chan fan around, but I think Coach Haith may have me beat. He is loving his do-it-all freshman. Who doesn't mind a guy who can play three different positions and do all the little things that it takes to help a team? Webster-Chan led the team in both minutes played and rebounds though only connecting on 12% of his shots. I never would have believed that this guy would make it into the rotation, but he's looking like he belongs the more I see him play. Grade: 7/10.
Laurence Bowers
Bowers is developing a pattern of stinking it up in the first half and catching fire in the second half. In these first two games of the season, he has scored a total of 2 points in the first half and 32 points in the second half. While I liked his scoring spurt in the second half which all came in the first 6 minutes of the second half, he was pretty quiet and a non-factor in the other 34 minutes of the game. Grade: 6/10.
Phil Pressey
It's not very often when you can be slightly disappointed with a player's performance when he scores over 20 points, but this just wasn't one of Phil's better games. He forced way too many shots and I get the feeling that he is frustrated with his teammates for blowing too many gimmies and just would rather take things over himself. He ended the game with only 2 assists and 3 turnovers (though the statistician made a mistake and charged him for a turnover that was clearly Bell's on the first possession of the game). Grade: 6/10.
Tony Criswell
I like Criswell a lot and think that he has the potential to help the team in a lot of ways. However, this was not a good game for him. While he is a big body and does a great job on the offensive boards, he has struggled defending and finishing shots. Grade: 4/10.
Keion Bell
Those of us who expressed concerns about Bell before we even saw him play are even more concerned now because while talented, he just doesn't seem to fit anywhere. He only logged 16 minutes against Alcorn State and most of those minutes it was hard to tell what he was doing. I have previously praised Bell for his defense and felt like his defense was good in this game as well. But on the offensive end, he doesn't bring much. He seems to have a very slow (and long) first step which good defenders have no trouble stopping which puts him in a tough position since he hasn't shown that he has any type of jump shot. His passing and ballhandling skills also aren't very strong. As a result, I think Bell is going to be a niche player who will get lots of playing time against teams that he can exploit, but not so much time against others. Grade: 4/10.
Ryan Rosburg
Seven rebounds in 9 minutes of playing time is pretty impressive, but the rest of his game is pretty ugly. He just doesn't seem ready yet and is playing way too fast. Grade: 3/10.
Overall Thoughts
- I was hoping for a 40-point win and Mizzou won by 37. Alcorn State next faces Stanford on Thursday so it will be worth checking in on that game to see how they do since Stanford will be Missouri's first big test next Thursday.
- Not only were Denmon and English great shooters, but they were also great passers. I've noticed that the ball doesn't zip around the perimeter like we were used to seeing last year. While it's hard to let it go, we can't expect this team to be as efficient as last year.
- Mizzou will be so much better on offense once Dixon returns. I really hope he will able to play in the Bahamas. We need him.
Next up: Nicholls State on Friday.
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