Dennis Gates said there was a storm to come.
It was of course referring to the winter weather which was currently passing through Mid-Missouri, but all that snow and temperatures below zero will do nothing to stop basketball n ° 16/15 Missouri which is accompanied on Wednesday evening for her Major Matchup at the end of the season against Alabama.
But there is another storm to come, and there is nothing cold on this subject.
It would be the bama offense heated by red, This is what stands between the Tigers and a marquee victory for its curriculum vitae already worthy of tournaments.
The Crimson Tide, trained by Nate Oats, blocked 100 points on seven different opponents this season. The last time a team held them below 80 years, it was January 14, when Ole Miss went to Tuscaloosa, in Alabama, and marked an upset victory.
The Alabama failed to score 80 points in a match three times this season, aligning offensive n ° 3 – only behind Auburn and Duke – on the Kenpom adjusted offensive metric.
Smokin ‘, Sizzlin’, Scorchin ‘Hot.
So what is the Missouri plan to prevent them from scoring?
Could the answer be to fight fire with fire?
“I don’t change our way of playing. I’m never going to do that, ”Gates said on Tuesday. “We will continue to make our guys play with confidence, play in a casual manner, to execute the match plan. … I want our guys to play with their instinct. I don’t want them to think about anything.
These instincts served Mizzou well in two -digit eruptions from Oklahoma and Georgia last week. Tigers can Continue if the game becomes a shooting because they have the staff to get there.
Caleb Grill is one of the main 3 -point shooters in the country, although it had to adapt because the teams have reached the two teams more and more to counter its potential. The Jacob Crews backup wing has seen an increase in its deep ball capacity promised during recent games. Eight different players led the tigers by scoring in a match this season, and 12 recorded a match with 10 or more points.
The analytical profiles of the offenses of the two teams also go hand in hand.
Mizzou (19-6, 8-4 sec) ranks second in the conference for an offensive note with 1,221 points per possession, by CBB analysis, and Alabama is fourth with 1,210. The tide is third in the League for an effective percentage of goals in the field at 55.9%, and the tigers have only 0.1% in fourth place. Mizzou is n ° 1 for attempts to launch francs per game, the Alabama is n ° 2.. The Missouri is n ° 1 for the real percentage of shooting, and ‘Bama is n ° 2.
Mizzou can win a match that becomes an offensive exhibition.
But this is not necessarily what the tigers to want To perform on Wednesday.
When Alabama marks 80, its record is 22-2 this season. When the tide draws more than 25 free throws, they are 10-2. When they do more than 10 3 points in a match, they are 12-1.
If they start, the oats team is difficult to stop.
Mizzou must find a way to obtain the crimson tide, which comes to Columbia at the back of a defeat on their floor against Auburn in a rare match n ° 1 against n ° 2 Saturday, at least a little sheltered rhythm.
“We have to defend the line of 3 points. They get up a lot of 3, ”said Grill. “This means that we have to do a very good job to clean the rebounds and not let them get second -chance opportunities. I think that if we can contain their shot and limit them to 3 points, perhaps, some of their open looks and then clean on the glass, I think we can put ourselves in a situation to keep them less than points than What they can mark.
“Because they can score 100 points any night if they are on fire or get these second chance opportunities.”
Gates also underlined by keeping the tide out of the free throw line. Yes, the leader Mark Sears, who, according to Gates, should be an All-American from the first team, goalkeeper Aden Holloway and even the 6-foot striker 11 inches Grant Nelson can draw the ball. But, the Crimson Tide was of this threat of 3 points still present with an ability to attack painting and draw mistakes.
Alabama is in the 99th centile of the country, according to CBB Analytics, both in percentage of goals on the field in 2 points and attempts to launch franc per match.
The best way to Missouri to disrupt the offensive could be to return the Alabama. This was one of the rare holes of the Nate oats this season because they lose the ball on 14.8% of their goods.
More: Missouri basketball had its best half of the year at UGA. Thank you Anthony Robinson II for that
The challenges are numerous, but the opportunities, apparently, are present so that the Missouri equalizes a program record and won a third match among the first five this season.
The pace of the game promises to be raised. The score can very well be fluid.
What if so?
“The two teams mark. The two teams play with a rhythm, “said Gates. “I hope the ball falls in love with us, and I hope it will not fall for them. It’s just as simple.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here’s how Missouri basketball can counter the Alabama offensive
