Join Mizzou beat writer Dave Matter for his live chat at 11 a.m. Thursday
Bring your Tigers football, basketball and recruiting questions, and talk to Dave Matter in a live chat at 11 a.m. Thursday.
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Hello Dave - Just a comment for your thoughts. One of the things that was a hallmark of Pinkel's program was discipline in regards to penalties and not beating themselves. To me that's a reflection of a strong program and leadership in the head coach spot. I hope that gets cleaned up. -
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I've had enough! I like the toughness and grit that Brady Cook brings to the QB position and I'm sure he's a great guy, but despite a less than stellar OL, you still need to get the ball down the field with more consistency than he has shown. His numbers throwing the ball 15 yards or more are some of the worst in the nation. If this is the best Drink can do then the ceiling is likely seven wins and I don't think that's what DRF and Mui have in mind at his price!?
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A long way to go in the basketball season, but what a difference a coaching change can make.
Martin brought in mid-majors that couldn't play at this level and Gates found those that could. Of course Honor played at Clemson and has been great at the point. But maybe the biggest impact we don't have to win games 60 to 55. A fun style to watch and highly successful to this point! -
Dru Smith and Kassius Robertson were mid-major transfers that worked out great. Boogie Coleman and Amari Davis did not. I'd say Martin's batting average on mid-major transfers was closer to .500 than some want to remember. Also, Ronnie DeGray was a mid-major transfer under Martin - and he's playing an important role for this team now.I don't think Mizzou's success through 13 games should be a referendum on the past staff. Again, Martin had Mizzou 13-3 less than two years ago with a bunch of wins over good teams. They couldn't sustain that success after Tilmon left the program for a stretch midseason. Ultimately, the additions last year couldn't replace the lost production and the staff paid the price.Martin also is responsible for recruiting the guy who might be early favorite for SEC player of the year. Let's not forget that.
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Hey Dave, appreciate your analysis on the rest of the MBB conference schedule. Could I get your thoughts on the two matchups against MS State?
KenPom has them ranked pretty closely to the Tigers (39 vs 35) and projects each team to win their game at home. Also, their strength (tough defense/forcing turnovers via the steal) seem to be closely aligned with ours. -
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Hello, I'm a very long time die hard Mizzou fan living in Lincoln, Ne., and after seeing the new coach here at Nebraska already bringing in several players from the portal I wondered where Mizzou is at on portal additions as they definitely need some good offensive line additions as well as a QB and some defensive line players.
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They signed three players in November: Jordan Butler, Trent Pierce and Anthony Robinson II. I think all three will have a chance to contribute right away, especially with Hodge, Gomillion and Gholston moving on.
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Be sure to listen to a brand new podcast episode, just recorded this morning.
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Ok, my expectations are reset - but about the bowls...teams make the bowls with a .500 record these days. Are those lower tier bowls actually going to continue? Are advertisers really going to keep paying for that? As you noted, Gasparilla was only half full - but I guess the TV ratings were still OK. It seems a shakeout might come and we'll see a few less bowls in the coming years (maybe this is a better question for Dan Caesar)
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The Gasparilla Bowl was the most-watched TV program in its time slot last Friday, so the lower-tier bowls probably aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Ross Dellenger of SI had an interesting story the other day with some possible bowl changes coming down the road. They might increase the win requirements to seven. They also could do away with conference affiliated bowls and just let the non-playoff bowls select any team they want. Interesting stuff.
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I was thrilled the team made a bowl game, and to play in a different bowl against a new opponent, but the result left me frustrated with the season. It made me feel like the improvements of the 2nd half of the season never happened. The horrible offense went back to it's unproductive self and too much was put on the defense.
Either Drink needs to bring in an OC or replace him now. That was horrible. Every single game you can count on an end around, reverse, or whatever you'd like to call it within the first 10 plays, whether it's there or not. You can't tell me someone in the booth can't see if the play will work or not based on the plays before it and how they're handling contain.
I'd love to hear the thoughts of some of the opposing defensive coordinators and how easy it is to break down film and game plan Mizzou's offense.
4th and 3 and Cook throws 30 yards down the field to a receiver who was covered. This was a critical play in the 4th quarter, but Cook hadn't completed anything over 15 yards to that point in the game. That throw couldn't have been more forced. Again, no completions on throws 15 yards or more but you put the outcome of the game on something with no chance. Gee, maybe a 6-8 yard throw to Bannister, Cooper, or Miller.
Listening to the announcers they mentioned several times how Cook doesn't have the arm for out routes and his accuracy has never been good for other patterns. Is this something he can get better with as he matures and gets more time in the weight room, or have we seen what his arm can be? -
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I was worried about the lack of size in the middle, but the 4 forwards are defending well against other team's bigs. Mizzou's style of play on offense and defense appears to be forcing the other teams to play smaller and faster than they'd like, and their depth is a strength to wear down other teams down the stretch. Villanova won a championship with a small ball team with multiple interchangeable players who could knock down 3's, take it to the hole, and interchangeably guard 1 thru 5 on the other team. Does Mizzou (based on their play the last 2 games) remind you of any teams that previously made deep runs in the post-season?
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Teams don't really play with a traditional center any more. Kentucky has the best big man in the country and Mizzou just drubbed UK. Brown can be your biggest player in MU's system, because he mostly plays on the perimeter until there's a favorable post-up matchup for him in the paint. Baylor won the national title two years ago with 6-8, 6-9 guys as the biggest players on the floor. UNC last year had Bacott as an undersized center and Manek as a stretch 4/5. Virginia won it all with four perimeter players and a 6-9 big man. This style isn't all that uncommon.
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I have a friend who is a very involved Florida State booster tell me that Mizzou would love Dennis Gates and that he would do a great job for us. So far, though it’s early, I’d have to agree. He seems to be good at recruiting at both the high school and portal levels (admittedly small sample size) and it was impressive how the team responded after the Kansas debacle with some big wins. He seems to have built a team identity very quickly. Are you surprised how quickly his players have adapted and bought in?
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Dave: What I saw early in the season from Mizzou BB was unimpressive--beating inferior teams despite looking fairly porous on defense, frequently letting the opponent shoot around 50% or better. The Kansas game saw my worst fears realized--a competent, talented team, unfazed by the press, would take advantage of the defensive lapses. But what I saw against Illinois and Kentucky--it was like a different team. The half-court pressure, communication, intensity, etc.--that has been remarkable. That kind of defense should keep them in every game if they can maintain the intensity, positioning and communication. It just feels like the team turned on a switch. How surprised are you by what you've seen the last two games, and to what do attribute this marked improvement?
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Teams get better over the course of a season. It's not unheard of. Especially teams with new parts that are learning to play together. Good teams get blown out at times in college hoops. UNC made the championship game last year during a season when they lost five games by 15 or more points. It's a long season. Early sample sizes can be misleading.
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