COLUMBIA, Mo. – With just under six minutes left in the game Missouri guard T.O. Barret stripped Cade Tyson, went coast to coast, and finished with an emphatic slam. That sequence put an exclamation mark on the 21-2 Missouri run that sealed this game.
The Tigers went on to win 83-60 over visiting Minnesota. Missouri’s leading scorer was Mark Mitchell who posted 18 points along with six boards and assists. Jacob Crews added 14 points coming largely off an impressive 4-for-6 night from 3-point range.
Missouri is now 4-0, with the victory being their first win over a Power Four opponent. The game got off to a shaky start however. Minnesota led by nine with eight minutes to go in the first half. Missouri head coach Dennis Gates made a switch to a 2-3 zone defense after the troubling defensive start.
“I wanted to save it for the 2nd half, but I had to pull that card very quickly in the 1st as I saw the game getting away from us.”
Slow starts have been a common theme for this Tiger squad. They’ve also allowed some mid-major opponents like Southeast Missouri and VMI to get off to hot starts.
“We just have to continue to mold ourselves and get to a point where we’re doing it for 40 minutes,” Gates added.
Better things are to come for Niko Medved and the Gophers. The 23 point margin of victory doesn’t reflect the gap between these two teams. A lot of it can be chalked up to shooting variance.
Mizzou was hitting everything in the second half, shooting 69.2% from the field. Minnesota only sank two 3-pointers, and shot an abysmal 42.6% on the night.
Medved, a Minneapolis native, led Colorado State to three NCAA tournament appearances in his last four seasons at the helm.
“At this level it’s hard most nights. You know what I mean? That’s what it is. It’s hard. Guys have good players, good schemes, you got good coaches. I mean there’s talent, you know, out there everywhere. So everyone, you know, poses a challenge.”
This marks the Gophers first loss of the season.
Author’s note on Medved: as a Minnesota native myself, it’s only right that the Gophers have a head coach with such a thick Minnesotan accent. It’s a beautiful thing.
Missouri men’s basketball hosts 2-2 Prairie View A&M on Monday at 7 p.m.