Chat Mizzou sports with Dave Matter at 11 a.m. Thursday
Bring your Tigers football, basketball and recruiting questions, and talk to Mizzou beat writer Dave Matter in a live chat at 11 a.m. Thursday.
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Good morning good sir. I'd love to hear more about the transfer portal. It seems a bit mysterious to me. It appears that a lot of kids are going in there but I don't hear a lot about them coming out to other schools. Are there deadlines to enter and deadlines to get recruited out of there?. Do a ton of kids enter and never get re-recruited?. Also, is there a good resource to follow these transactions?. Thanks in advance. -
I don't have the statistics at my fingertips, but, generally, yes. Not everyone who enters the portal ends up at another school, much less at a better program than where they started. It's a pretty simple process. If athletes wants to make themselves available to other schools, they just have to inform their compliance department that they want to submit their name and information to the portal. All the other schools have access to that list and can contact those athletes without requiring any permission from the original school. Some athletes get bombarded immediately from coaches at programs all over the country. Some don't attract much attention at all, I imagine. The list includes walk-ons, not just scholarship players.
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Good morning Dave,
To say the team's performance last night was an embarrassment is an understatement. That team 'quit' in the second half. Give me a break. The defense looked like a 'back-yard' pick-up game.
The only player we can consistently rely on from a competitive standpoint night-in-and-night-out is Javon. That young man never quits. Also, he plays hurt.
Coach needs to call-out his core unit, He should have benched them with four minutes left in the game.
Talk to me. -
Dru Smith didn't quit. He always plays hard and plays focused. I agree on Pickett. I didn't think the bench guys necessarily quit. Braun, Buggs, Watson, etc. But there's only so much they can offer when the starters give you a double-digit point deficit.Martin was very candid in his criticism of Pinson. I thought he looked disengaged after his first couple drives to the basket came up empty. He settled for 3s and outside shots instead of initiating the offense by attacking inside. Here's what Martin said about Pinson last night: "He’s got to be aggressive getting downhill. I thought he settled a lot on the perimeter. He didn't attack the rim at all. He wasn't aggressive at the rim making plays. In a lot of ways when he’s not doing that we become stagnant because you’re counting on that, especially certain actions that we have. When he's not around the rim and he's taking tough 3s and tough 2s everybody kind of stands around. I didn’t think he was aggressive at the rim like I know he can be."Tilmon wasn't getting many clean entry passes into the post. He struggled some against Ole Miss' physicality. More so than Pinson, Tilmon's production hinges on his teammates' getting him the ball. MU struggled to get him clean looks, but to some degree that's on him to clear space and take advantage of his chances. He only took four shots. Mizzou can't win if he's only attempting four shots. Technically he took more shots on plays that drew fouls - you're not credited for a shot attempt on a shooting foul - but he certainly didn't help himself at the foul line.Again, here's Martins' full comment on Tilmon's game: "One, be more aggressive. Him missing some free throws probably slowed him up as far as being aggressive posting. You still to stay post aggressively, but I think also the double coming in different ways ... he knows it’s coming. Shooters got to be ready. He had one or two turnovers when they doubled him. I think it was more guys diving late. You’ve got to dive sooner so he can have that ready. You want him to get more opportunities but also you have got to give those guys credit for making it hard on him. They’re probably saying, 'Somebody else has to beat us, not Tilmon.'"
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I don't expect to see a single snap of practice. If I do, I'll be pleasantly surprised. So, anything the media "knows" about the team will be through the filter of the coaches and players, which means we'll only hear what they want us to hear. In other words ... don't expect to really learn much.Can the young receivers (Cooper, Lovett, Hester, etc.) push the veterans and become instant playmakers who can stretch the field?Who fills big shoes at running back, inside linebacker, safety, etc?What does Steve Wilks' defensive structure look like?Are the young QBs have any shot at pushing Bazelak for the job?
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Only Steve Wilks a few weeks ago. He's a serious guy. Intense. I think he'll be a guy who brings some gravitas to the locker room and the meeting room. He just carries himself like someone who's done this for a long time, knows what he's doing but also humble enough to study the game over the last year so he can learn more.
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This team has a significant need for big-play receivers, the type who can either turn a short pass into a long gain with their speed and quickness or take the top off a defense by getting downfield and hauling in deep passes. The Tigers rarely had that element in the passing game outside of some flea flickers and a few other deep balls. Lovett and Cooper are billed as those type of receivers. This is a prime opportunity for both of those guys to earn instant playing time.
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what a depressing game for Mizzou fans last night, eh? My question Dave is concerning games you don't travel to report on site. Do you generally watch on national provider like SEC network or ESPS or whatever national station broadcasts the game or do you have access to something else? The second question is that I am curious whether you keep the sound muted or if you listen to the audio broadcasting while taking notes on the game? -
I just watch the normal TV broadcast that everyone else is watching. I have the TV sound on but don't pay that much attention to the broadcasters. I would try to sync up the radio broadcast, but I have a bit of delay on my TV streaming service. I hate writing game stories off TV. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I don't feel like it gives the readers the best account of what's really happening if I'm not in the arena, but it's the best alternative for a bad situation this season. Hopefully it's the only season I'll be watching from home.
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So you have them at 10-7 in the conference and 17-7 overall? That would mean a win over Arkansas, which would be good for the NET Ranking, and a split with Ole Miss. It's hard to gauge because seedings aren't done in a vacuum. It'll depend on the rest of the field, but I would think that puts you in contention for one of the 8-9 games. Maybe a 7 seed. But I'm no bracketologist by any means.
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Man, that's hard. Ben Frederickson and I shared some thoughts on Terez on this week's podcast, which should be available by the end of this chat if not sooner.Confession: When Terez first got the Mizzou beat at the KC Star, I was ornery and bitter. I was at a smaller paper at the time and had been campaigning for that job. I had reason to believe I had a good shot at it. They promoted from within instead and I wasn't familiar with Terez. Then I watched him hustle on the beat and I developed an instant respect for the way he worked - and without a hint of the snark or cynicism that plagues our business, especially on the Mizzou beat. When he moved onto the Chiefs beat in KC he became a superstar in the ranks of NFL beat writers - and I wasn't the least bit surprised because I had watched him work with such a passion and drive. There aren't many people I'd consider stars in this industry, but he was one of the very few for how hard he grinded and did it with such joy. It's a huge, huge loss. My heart sank when I got the news Tuesday morning.
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Yes, Mizzou has a bad record against the two Mississippi schools. But Ole Miss has been a much better program over the course of the nine years Mizzou has been in the SEC.Since MU joined the SEC, Ole Miss is 79-77 in conference play with three NCAA Tournament appearances.Mississippi State has been much worse at 61-95 with one NCAA appearance.Mizzou has been even worse, 56-98 with two NCAA appearances.So, the record against Ole Miss shouldn't be a huge surprise. The Rebels have been far better over time. That doesn't excuse last night's effort.
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Missouri isn't the only teams in the top half of the conference with a loss to a team on the wrong side of the NCAA bubble:Mizzou has losses at Ole Miss, at Mississippi State and at Auburn. (Auburn isn't eligible this year but wouldn't be in the field as of now.)Tennessee has a loss at Ole Miss.Florida has home losses to Kentucky and South Carolina and a road loss at Mississippi StateLSU has a loss at Kentucky.Arkansas and Alabama don't really have a bad loss.Mizzou can't afford another one or two if it wants to be the higher seed in the NCAA tournament.
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Good morning Dave,
Hopefully you're staying warm.
Yes, I know it's only four loses, but they've all been brutal (the Auburn game was no where near as close as the final score). Whether it's the whole game or a half, when they don't show up they really don't. It's these types of games I don't expect from an experienced team. -
Jeff Gordon put it well in his piece today: This team isn't talented enough to have multiple guys not give maximum effort. Defense, rebounding and effort are the three non-negotiable parts of the game when you play for Martin. Not everyone brought it last night. Last night was troubling.At the same rate, this team has always bounced back from losses and played well the next game. I'd expect the same Saturday. That doesn't mean they'll beat the Hogs, but I'd be a lot more concerned if the team has multiple no-shows on Saturday.
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We followed our large jump in the rankings with a typical early week loss to a poor team. Why does this consistently happen? We can beat top 10 teams and lose to anyone any night and we've proved that (barely won at TCU and Liberty, lost to MSU, Ole Miss, Auburn). Have we been lucky to have such a good record and now reality is setting in?
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This team has gotten credit all season long for managing the close games and finishing strong. That's still true. They're still 5-0 in games decided by five points or less. This team has to play with maximum effort with everyone bought into their roles to have a chance against a team with average to above-average talent. That has been true all year. If not, a team with equal or even lesser talent can beat them if shots are falling. That was true or was close to being true against Bradley, TCU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. (Auburn has more talent.) If Mizzou is fully engaged it can beat anyone on its schedule. That was the case against Illinois, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky. Those wins weren't lopsided by any means, but MU stuck to the script more often than not and played hard.
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Because they're college players who aren't elite talents?And I'm not sure I'd agree with the premise. Dru Smith is as consistent a player as Mizzou has had in years. The only thing that ever trips him up is fouls. Pickett is the same player just about every night. Some nights he might get a few more shots, but his effort/production doesn't waver much. Up until a few games ago, Tilmon was a model of consistency. He's in a bit of a funk right now. Pinson is certainly erratic. There's very little between with him. Either he plays like a first-team All-SEC guard or he's less engaged.
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I don't. Martin said this summer he doesn't expect any seniors to return. Again, three of them are fifth-year seniors who have overcome major injuries in their careers (Dru Smith, Drew Buggs, Mitchell Smith). Mark Smith wants to get into coaching right away. Same for Buggs. Tilmon has had pro aspirations for two years. I don't anticipate him wanting to play another year in college.
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I wouldn't say Tennessee or Mississippi State have unusually quick guards. Shuler is a good player for Ole Miss, but he was more of a shooter than playmaker last night. Mississippi State and Ole Miss both beat MU with a lot of tough pull-up jumpers - shots that are usually inefficient for most teams. Ole Miss made a handful of jumpers just inside the arc last night - the worst shot in basketball. Auburn's game was all about Cooper's penetration and ability to get to the foul line.
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4 of 14 from the line last nite? I’m 64 years old and I think I could make 4 of 14! Isn’t the same core team that set an NCAA record for consecutive free throws? What’s changed? With the post-season approaching, their pitiful free throw shooting is going to kill them if they don’t address this situation. To that end, I’ve not read anything in the press that CM is even remotely concerned about this matter. Have you?
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He certainly wasn't pleased last night. One thing about last night's foul shooting: Only two players took more than two free throws, Tilmon and Mark Smith. Tilmon is the team's worst foul shooter. He was nearly a 70-percent shooter earlier in his career but has really fallen off lately. The problem last night wasn't the missed free throws - it was the fact that Pinson and Dru Smith didn't get to the foul line once. They are MU's best perimeter players, best perimeter scorers and two elite free throw shooters. It was just the second time all season Pinson hasn't gotten to the free throw line. It was just the third time Dru Smith hadn't attempted a foul shot. In two seasons playing together, it was just the third time in a conference game both of them failed to get to the line. Smith was at least trying to drive the ball and absorb contact. Pinson quit trying early in the game. That can't happen for this team to beat anyone.
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Isn't that true for every coach whose team loses a game? Not getting the team to rally together and change the game is essentially the definition of losing.There's really no great explanation for last night other than Mizzou let Ole Miss hit some early shots and dictate the game with its physicality inside. MU couldn't match that and didn't try once it got down.
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