Defending the Paint a Point of Emphasis For Dennis Gates and Mizzou

Ahead of Missouri's matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners, Gates hopes to lock down the paint on defense after some prior struggles.

Mar 1, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Jason Edwards (1) passes the ball as Missouri Tigers guard Jacob Crews (35) defends during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

In the Missouri Tigers' last two defeats against the Arkansas Razorbacks and Vanderbilt Commodores, there is one common factor stringing them together.

On the defensive end, the Tigers have struggled to protect the paint. Arkansas posted 44 points in the paint compared to Missouri's 28 and the story was the same against the Commodores, losing in that category 48-34.

Ahead of Missouri's matchup against Oklahoma, making the paint a hard area to score in will still be important. Despite the Sooners' love for the three-point shot, certain defensive situations can lead to an interior-led offense.

The solution is clear and should lead to cleaning up that area if the Tigers can be aware of who they're guarding and finish the defensive possession. It's an easy fix that Missouri hasn't faced issues in at prior moments of the season, so it should be an easy fix.

“Understand who we’re going against, understand, because we’re a switching defense, who we’re guarding and defending at that point in time and we have to make sure we close out possessions,” Head coach Dennis Gates said.

Closing out possessions helps with everything. Not only will it make shots harder for an opponent, but it will also allow the Tigers to get out in transition and establish the pace of the game, regardless of the team they face.

“If we do a good job closing out possessions, shooting percentages and obviously, our rhythm goes up,’ Gates said. 

These are things Missouri struggled with against Arkansas and Vanderbilt and they do need to be corrected. Against the Razorbacks, Missouri was not physical or aggressive enough on defense, allowing for ball-handlers to get to the rim easily. Scoring in transition was also a key factor for them, taking advantage of Missouri's tired legs.

Fouling was also a problem against Arkansas and it hasn't been a red flag of the Tigers throughout the season. Whether it was an off-night or Arkansas truly outplayed Missouri, those two factors buried the Tigers.

“Our inability to aggressively stop downhill drives and stay out of foul trouble,” Gates said. 

Feb 22, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Anthony Robinson III (0) defends as Arkansas Razorbacks guard D.J. Wagner (21) regains his dribble during the second half at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

As for the Vanderbilt loss, the Tigers gave up far too many offensive rebounds. At the same time, defending ball-handlers who were moving downhill again cost Missouri far too many points. The strange occurrence of those defensive lapses, again, was a reason for the Tigers' loss.

“There’s were more so offensive rebounds and fouls and also drives in the second half,” Gates said.

Gates' squad also turned the ball over more than they normally would in those prior two losses. For the success on both offense and defense, Missouri needs to stop turning the ball over.

“We got to take care of the basketball, defend who we need to defend and we’ll do a great job getting the outcome we want,” Gates said.

Missouri is known as a team with a high-powered offense, but rarely have they seen consistent defensive lapses like they have as of late. Gates and his team will need to clean up those scenarios in order to win out in conference play and find success in the postseason.

Missouri takes on the Sooners at 7:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma.