The Missouri Tigers fell in their first ever appearance in the SEC Tournament Semifinals Saturday afternoon, losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide 72-61.
The Tigers were once again paced offensively by D’Moi Hodge. His 21-point effort was the second straight game he led Mizzou in scoring. DeAndre Gholston also added 17 points of his own.
It was a very slow start offensively for both teams, with very few shots being made from the outside. Alabama was just 2-15 from three in the first half, and it took a couple late makes from the Tigers to bring their first half three point shooting to 4-12.
A miracle, fallaway, one-legged, buzzer-beating, corner three from D’Moi Hodge led to Missouri being down only 3 points to end the first half. That play will be on Mizzou highlight reels for years to come.
Both teams came out shooting cold in the second half as well, but it was Alabama who eventually found their hot-streak and put the Tigers away. After starting the game 2-21 from three, the Crimson Tide hit 6 of their last 7 in the second half. That hot shooting combined with Alabama’s constant rim protection proved to be Missouri’s downfall.
Alabama played physical all night long, and the refs let both teams play. The Tigers attempted 8 free throws and the Crimson Tide attempted 11. Whistles weren’t being called both ways, and Alabama adapted to this tougher style better.
After the game, Dennis Gates commented on the refereeing.
He said, “It was minimalized calls. Very physical game. Nothing where I would say was a disadvantage. I’m sure we fouled a lot. I’m sure they fouled a lot.”
On shots at the rim, Mizzou only made 9 out of their 24 attempts. They were getting downhill, getting good looks at the bucket, but could not convert.
This team will now look ahead to Selection Sunday where the only question left is where they are going and who they are playing.
Dennis Gates downplayed his team’s success this season. When asked what seed he felt the Tigers deserve, he commented,
“I’ve heard more negative about us than positive reinforcement throughout the year. I just hope we get in. It’s a matchup game. We’ll see.”
Current projections have Missouri somewhere in the neighborhood of a 7 or 8 seed. It will be their first tournament appearance since the 2020-2021 season, and Dennis Gates’ first as a member of the Power 5.
Mohammed Diarra, DeAndre Gholston, Noah Carter, Sean East, and of course freshman Aidan Shaw will all be making their first NCAA Tournament appearances.
Anything can happen in the Big Dance and the Tigers are far from a Cinderella story. This teams has proven that they belong, and believe that they can compete with anyone in the country.
An 11-point loss to the projected #1 overall seed in the coming NCAA Tournament does nothing to dissuade that.
On the to the Big Dance.