Post Game Shower- Missouri

Ouch. The Mocs were hammered in this game by the Tigers. Missouri took it to them early and often. They shot lights out. So there was nothing positive to take from this game, right?

Wrong. Against Richmond, the Mocs were outhustled. In this game, there were fewer hustle mistakes. The effort was there. The results were not. Make no mistake, a 99-56 loss is not how I wanted the Mocs to head into the tournament portion of this San Padre Invitational. Still, let's not be confused about the issue- the Mocs played better tonight than they did against Richmond.

The Mocs did not shoot well from long range, but Odem and Bell both showed that they could play on this level. Saffore, McKeither, Smith and Jefferson showed flashes too. They actually had more points in the paint for the game, which is incredibly impressive. The problem is that Taylor did not look good again. Ricky Taylor is really struggling right now. The Mocs need him to be a shooter to stretch out defenses. I have not been impressed with Taylor lately.

Jefferson, who I was horribly disappointed in during the Richmond game, actually looked like a real player tonight. Ridge McKeither rebounded well, but did not shoot well.

Here's a little bright spot. The Mocs outrebounded Missouri, 33-31. That was very good. The Mocs needed that kind of showing. They needed to show that they could rebound, something that has been lacking so far this year.

Now here's the good news. The Mocs are still playing without Ty Patterson, Troy Cage, and Chris Early. Dante Harvey played, but did not look overly impressive. He will have to play himself into shape, a little bit. But the Mocs are still learning how to play. They are a far different team right now than they will be in January. The Mocs will be much much better in the near future.

As I said back before the season, these next two games will go a long way to determining just how successful the Mocs could be this year. Texas Pan-America, Bethune-Cookman, and Longwood wait for the Mocs. They need to find a way to win those two games. The Texas-Pan America game is an absolute must win for the Mocs at this point.

I'm looking for a much better show on Friday afternoon. If it is not there, then I will begin to question this team a little bit. But not yet. Not quite yet. They still beat ETSU at home, which is a solid win that I was not necessarily counting on before the season started.

GO MOCS!