3 Takeaways From No. 21 Mizzou's Convincing Road Win Over Georgia

Though the first half was a tight race in Stegeman Coliseum Saturday afternoon, the No. 21-ranked Missouri Tigers finished off the Georgia Bulldogs through a dominant second half on both ends.

A total of four Tigers ended the game with double-digit points in Tamar Bates, Mark Mitchell, Anthony Robinson II and Caleb Grill. Those key performances helped Missouri improve its record to 8-4 in the Southeastern Conference — unofficially (but pretty officially) confirming its bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs are a team still eyeing the possibility of a bid themselves, and it could've been the makings of a potential upset coupled with the home court advantage. However, the Tigers thwarted that possibility and executed another impressive victory to add to their résumé.

As a date with the No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide approaches on Wednesday, the momentum added with last night's win was a must for Missouri.

Here are three takeaways from the Tigers' convincing victory over Georgia:

Ant-Man Saves The Day

Ahead of Missouri's matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners, coach Dennis Gates listed "staying out of foul trouble" as a way for Robinson to start playing better. Though he fouled out by the end of the Georgia win, he played a key piece in the second half surge.

The sophomore guard ended the game with a team-high 15 points, five rebounds, seven assists and four steals on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. A total of 13 of those points came in the second half, helping re-energize the Tiger offense with quality looks.

On the defensive end, Robinson was able to pick up a significant amount of steals and deflections that led to fast break opportunities. Part of the challenge for him defensively has been to balance his aggressiveness with avoiding fouls, and though a few of his five were clearly the right call, they didn't deem him unplayable until the final 1:06.

Robinson's performance seemed to be the breakthrough of his potential "sophomore slump." In recent games the aggressiveness came too early, but this time, he managed to stay present throughout the contest. With his offense begin as on as it was, it made Missouri all the more dangerous.

With one of the Tigers' most important matchups of the year coming up next, Robinson couldn't have picked a better time to get back on track.

Winning The Glass

Despite the Bulldogs having the ability to play big with the likes of Asa Newell and Somto Cyrill, Missouri ended the day with a clear advantage on the glass.

It wasn't just the defensive rebounding battle either, which the Tigers slightly won 19-17, it was largely in the offensive category. Missouri out-rebounded Georgia 17-10 there, leading to a total of 17 second chance points. Though that could've been executed better, gaining rebounds helped it in key situations of the game.

The Tigers' only true active center, Josh Gray, provided seven points and four rebounds in 17 minutes of action. The next-best player who can act as a center is 6-foot-9 forward Mark Mitchell, but it's worked to their favor.

Missouri isn't a tall team by any means, but the physicality of its guards and forwards allows it to rebound much better than it has in the past under Gates. Grill, Mitchell and Robinson all finished the game with five rebounds each, but Trent Pierce's five were the most encouraging.

Pierce's minutes had lessened with his lack of rebounding the ball, but with an opportunity to prove himself, his rebounding performance was highly encouraging. All five of his rebounds were on the offensive glass, resulting in a substantial amount of the Tigers' second-chance opportunities. That along with eight points could help his confidence moving forward.

Fast Breaks and Turnovers

The disparity of any stat category from yesterday's matchup pales in comparison to that of the fast break. Missouri finished with a whopping 19 points from those opportunities, and as for the Bulldogs?

Zero.

The Tigers were able to force nine turnovers throughout the game that resulted in 18 points, while only turning the ball over three times themselves. Many of those strong defensive possessions resulted into fast break points, especially when the likes of Robinson jump out to a defender and knock the ball to the other direction.

The other part of the high tally came from the strong rebounding game. The high energy displayed on the glass made for quick opportunities to hit passes down the court, allowing the receiver an easy chance to take it to the basket.

Missouri can play at frantic pace at times, but it's usually rather controlled on both ends. Taking care of the ball while taking it away from the opponent is a recipe for success, and was a big part of the driving force towards the second half comeback.