Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Marshall Brown Was the Difference
There are a number of stats that can explain the difference in the Mizzou-Illinois game. Missouri shot just 55% from the line. Illinois racked up 17 offensive rebounds. Illinois got 22 second chance points. Mizzou was held scoreless on fast breaks.
However, Mizzou played a much bigger and deeper Illinois to the wire. Hannah, Keon Lawrence and Horton sliced and diced Illinois, outscoring the Illini in the paint due to excellent ball movement and penetration. Most surprising to me was the play of Butterfield. His tenacity kept loose balls alive and his ability to put the ball on the court and drive opened up lanes.
The difference in this game, though, was Marshall Brown's injury. Up until that point, Illinois had no answers for Mizzou's penetration. While Brown wound up with just one point, his athletisism was key in the first half. Matt Lawrence was a severe drop off in both offense and defense from what was working in the first half.
Don't take this as me criticizing Matt. He has specific abilities that are crucial to this team. But, his role is limited and trading Marshall for Lawrence meant a big drop off in defense and in attacking the basket. Part of what Lawrence brings is the ability to hit the open shot. He had just two opportunities to do so in the second half, yet played 18 minutes, almost all of which, I believe, in the second half. He simply wasn't able to guard the perimeter and wasn't quick enough against the Illini's guards to break open.
Overall, my impression of Anderson's Tigers is even more favorable than before. I was very impressed with the ball movement and tenacity. With the exception of about a three minute period around the 8 minute mark on down in the second half, the Tigers consistently played smart and hard. But being an overachieving team means there is little margin for error or injury. Marshall's injury along with just a few mental mistakes and Anderson's decision to play Matt Lawrence over Dandridge most of the second half were more than the Tigers could overcome. Even still, the Tigers were in a position to tie it in the end.
Final Four within three years, Tiger Nation. Bank on it.
However, Mizzou played a much bigger and deeper Illinois to the wire. Hannah, Keon Lawrence and Horton sliced and diced Illinois, outscoring the Illini in the paint due to excellent ball movement and penetration. Most surprising to me was the play of Butterfield. His tenacity kept loose balls alive and his ability to put the ball on the court and drive opened up lanes.
The difference in this game, though, was Marshall Brown's injury. Up until that point, Illinois had no answers for Mizzou's penetration. While Brown wound up with just one point, his athletisism was key in the first half. Matt Lawrence was a severe drop off in both offense and defense from what was working in the first half.
Don't take this as me criticizing Matt. He has specific abilities that are crucial to this team. But, his role is limited and trading Marshall for Lawrence meant a big drop off in defense and in attacking the basket. Part of what Lawrence brings is the ability to hit the open shot. He had just two opportunities to do so in the second half, yet played 18 minutes, almost all of which, I believe, in the second half. He simply wasn't able to guard the perimeter and wasn't quick enough against the Illini's guards to break open.
Overall, my impression of Anderson's Tigers is even more favorable than before. I was very impressed with the ball movement and tenacity. With the exception of about a three minute period around the 8 minute mark on down in the second half, the Tigers consistently played smart and hard. But being an overachieving team means there is little margin for error or injury. Marshall's injury along with just a few mental mistakes and Anderson's decision to play Matt Lawrence over Dandridge most of the second half were more than the Tigers could overcome. Even still, the Tigers were in a position to tie it in the end.
Final Four within three years, Tiger Nation. Bank on it.
Iam4Mizzou # # 10:07 PM 
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