Game 10: South Carolina State

Getting a mid-season transfer is always an exciting thing, but very rarely does the transferring player live up to the hype that seems to be generated during the early part of the season.  In fact, I can only think of one time when the player met or exceeded expectations, as Albert White most certainly did.  Obviously, Jabari Brown was a highly sought-after recruit coming out of high school who has now had over a year in a college program.  It would be logical to think he could be a major contributor to this year's team, but it is always wise to not let expectations get too carried away.  Actually, his debut in a Tiger uniform comes at a perfect time as South Carolina State would otherwise not be a very interesting match-up.  Brown's arrival provided quite a bit of drama to what would have otherwise been a complete snooze of a game.  Haith made things interesting by utilizing a steady stream of substitutions which while entertaining, did not necessarily give us much of an idea as to what line-up worked the best together.  Unfortunately, SC State was so overmatched that even Mizzou's walk-ons were able to score rather easily against them.

Jabari Brown
Might as well start with the new guy.  Well, he is pretty much EXACTLY what this team needs.  Showed some great teamwork early on with two assists almost immediately after coming into the game.  He looks to be a great ballhandler and plays within his limitations which is the sure sign of a player who has a good understanding of the game.  He struggled with his outside shot, but showed good poise and though credited with two turnovers, neither was bad (first one was an offensive foul on an aggressive drive to the hoop and the second was a nifty pass that Criswell completely whiffed on).  Grade: 7/10.

Phil Pressey
Phil started off nicely with two shots from the lane and then basically kind of took a back seat for the rest of the game, yet still had a nice line of 6 points and 6 assists.  Grade: 8/10.

Laurence Bowers
I loved that Bowers on his very first touch took the ball from the top of the key all the way to the basket.  He got fouled on his way, but I liked the aggressive approach which I feel is the one area that he needs to work on.  He went to the goal on his third touch with a nice baseline drive as well.  Like Phil, took a backseat as this game provided an opportunity to see the other guys play.  Looked great running the floor.  Grade: 8/10.

Alex Oriakhi
Oriakhi didn't see a whole lot of time but put in his usual effort with 9 points and 11 rebounds.  Loved that he dunked any time he was close.  Grade: 8/10.

Negus Webster-Chan
I thought Webster-Chan looked great in this game.  He made nice passes and good cuts and was active on the boards.  He didn't miss a shot and didn't have a turnover...that's efficient basketball.  Grade: 8/10.

Earnest Ross
Ross worried me in the first half, but seemed to catch the bug and looked much better in the second half when he started going inside with the basketball.  However, he and Jankovic still struggle on the defensive end.  Grade: 7/10.

Keion Bell
Bell looks good in the starting lineup.  He seems to realize what he needs to do to help this team and has a better all-around game over Ross, in my opinion.  He was very active in the passing lanes which led to some easy baskets in transition.  I really want to see these types of results when the competition becomes stronger.  Grade: 8/10.

Tony Criswell
Criswell looked very nice in this game making an early presence on the boards and providing a nice scoring threat from the free throw line.  I really like his game and the energy he brings whenever he is on the floor.  Grade: 7/10.

Stefan Jankovic
Jankovic was given the start tonight.  His defense makes me cringe and his offense makes me smile and laugh at times.  His behind-the-back dribble and finish on the and-one was beautiful and got me on my feet.  Jankovic has the offensive skills to get quality minutes.  His defense though is going to hold him back.  Grade: 7/10.

Ryan Rosburg
I felt like Rosburg finally slowed things down and was able to do what he wanted to do in this game.  That was an encouraging sign as he has played out-of-control up until this point (stage fright perhaps?).  He showed some nice poise and was able to use his size and finish plays in close in tonight's game.  Grade: 7/10.

Overall Thoughts
Really liked the way the team came out showing some different looks on defense, though they did give up a few offensive rebounds when Oriakhi was not in the game.  They showed some 1-3-1 full court pressure and plenty of 2-3 zone (which still needs some work).  The addition of Brown is huge as he is very strong with the ball and looks plenty comfortable at the free throw line.  More importantly, he provides another good player competing for minutes which will only make this team better.

Missouri looked more like last year in the way they pushed the ball up the floor and was able to get some easy looks due to how quickly they got the ball into the forecourt.  Hard to say whether this was due to the quality of the opponent (SC State is one of the worst teams in Div. I) or whether this is something that they will continue to do successfully.  Missouri just brutalized SC State in transition in this game.

My only significant gripe was that Missouri did not dominate the boards in this game as they have in their previous games.  SC State got 14 offensive rebounds which is disappointing but might be attributable to the wholesale substitutions that Haith was employing in this game.

Next up:  Hmmm....I wonder.