Mizzou Basketball Runs Out of Fuel; Falls Short at No. 6 Kentucky
Missouri Tigers guard Sean East was lying on the court of the Rupp Arena in anguish. Seconds earlier, his left eye had met the elbow of Kentucky guard Antonio Reeves. East, as he has many times this season, was the main cog in Missouri's offensive machine on Tuesday night.
Missouri was trailing by 11 to No. 6 Kentucky with 6:30 remaining. If the Tigers were going to complete comeback, they would need East.
After being treated on the bench, East would return just two minutes later. With his bulging eye socket, the graduate player refused to go down without a fight. Ultimately, East and the Tigers' comeback efforts were not enough as Missouri would lose 90-77.
The loss placed Missouri at the bottom of the SEC with an 8-7 record overall, and still winless through two games of conference play. East's refusal to give in seems to be the mindset the team has taken on after a rough start to 2024.
"If we get hit we're gonna get right back up," graduate forward Noah Carter said. "We've just gotta keep fighting."
Despite the loss, that mindset was on clear display for Missouri at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats could hear the threatening footsteps of the Tigers for most of the 40 minutes. In the first 30, Kentucky only led by more than 10 points for less than three minutes of play. Missouri seemed to be able to claw back after any momentum swing for Kentucky. The Wildcats finally gained a comfortable distance with a 15-9 run in the final eight minutes, making it the second straight game that the Missouri offense went cold in the closing minutes.
The key behind Missouri's offensive success was smooth, efficient ball movement. The passing was as perfectly timed and on point as a well rehearsed choreography. The offense as a whole seemed much more polished from the product put on display earlier in the season.
The Tigers' leading scorer was Carter with 20 points. With a season-high in points, Tuesday's game could serve as a 'get right' game to help Carter find his groove for this season. The senior forward has taken on an expanded role this season but has failed to fulfill his role in multiple games this season. Now with three straight double-digit scoring performances, Carter seems to be back on track.
Two other Tigers, East and Tamar Bates, reached double digits against Kentucky. But the lack of contributions from the Missouri bench proved to be a difference-maker as Kentucky's depth delivered when called upon. The Tigers' bench only contributed 10 points while the Wildcats' put up 26. Though this Missouri team utilizes plenty of different rotations, the team's depth hasn't exactly been reliable.
Gates' squad will look to bounce back Saturday when they host South Carolina at Mizzou Arena for a 2:30 p.m. tipoff.
