Missouri Tigers: 10 Problems Marcus Denmon and the Tigers Need to Fix by March
Marcus Denmon, Kim English and the Missouri Tigers basketball team are ranked No. 9 in the nation and have an 11-1 record.
Last night, they beat No. 21 Illinois in the annual Busch Braggin' Rights Game by a score of 75-64.
Though the Tigers won by 11, the final score should have been much closer.
Still, a win is a win. But there are some things that they need to correct before March Madness comes along.
This team has a chance to go deep into the tournament if it works on these 10 things.
10. Stay on the Court
1 of 10
Phil Pressey is out for a while with a broken finger.
Michael Dixon just came off a two-game suspension for violating team rules.
Laurence Bowers has taken a couple hard falls this year.
Finally, Justin Safford's knee injury from last year is always a concern this year.
The Tigers need to have a lot of depth because of their fast-paced style of play.
An injury to any key piece of the team in February or March would force the team to change its style of play.
9. Lack of Depth
2 of 10
This team just isn't as deep as teams of years past.
They don't have the explosive scoring potential coming off the bench any more. They need their starters to have big games, or else they struggle mightily.
There is one way to fix that though...
8. Get Tony Mitchell
3 of 10
Mitchell, a big power forward from Texas, wasn't able to enroll at Mizzou this fall.
There is still hope that he can join the team for the spring semester in time for Big 12 Conference play.
But if it's going to happen, it's going to have to happen soon.
Mitchell would give the frontcourt some depth that it desperately needs.
.png?w=256 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
7. Develop Low Post Moves for Laurence Bowers and Ricardo Ratliffe
4 of 10
Bowers and Ratliffe are working on some low post moves, but they've had mixed results.
Ratliffe struggles with dunks and hook shots, while Bowers hits some hook shots and has electrifying dunks but is still too inconsistent with his layups.
They need to hit a higher percentage of their shots in the post for Mizzou to be a real threat in the postseason.
6. Consistency from Marcus Denmon
5 of 10
Denmon is the team's leading scorer, leading the Tigers' fifth-ranked offense.
But at times, Denmon disappears. For the first half against Illinois, he was nearly nonexistent.
As a leader, he needs to work to create shots for himself.
If he's not getting shots for himself, he needs to work to get open shots for his teammates instead of just standing in the corner waiting.
5. Better Shot Selection from Kim English
6 of 10
English is the emotional leader of the Tigers. He works his butt off and tries his absolute best when he's on the court.
He's also the best on the team at creating shots for himself.
But lately, he's been taking some poor shots.
He's not Kobe Bryant, so the fadeaway jumper from 15 feet while running to his right or left probably isn't a good shot for him.
He needs to find spots, get his feet set and jump straight up.
If he quits trying to be so fancy with his shots, he'll get back to being a real offensive threat for Mizzou.
4. Cut Down on Turnovers
7 of 10
Nine players on the Tigers are averaging at least one turnover per game.
Phil Pressey and Kim English are both averaging over two turnovers per game.
The Tigers have had success the past couple years because they force many more turnovers than they commit.
They'll need to cut down on their turnovers in Big 12 play if they want to make a push for the conference championship.
3. More Effective Press
8 of 10
During Mike Anderson's tenure at Mizzou, the Tigers have always been a team that full-court presses its opponents.
But after the graduation of J.T. Tiller, Zaire Taylor and Keith Ramsey last season, the press just hasn't been as effective this season.
It still gives the Tigers an advantage, but they'll need to start forcing more turnovers in the backcourt if they want to play deep into March.
2. Rebound Better
9 of 10
Ricardo Ratliffe is averaging 7.2 rebounds per game.
Laurence Bowers averages 6.3.
But the Tigers still rank 153rd in the country in rebounds per game, averaging just 36.3 boards per contest.
They give up too many second-chance points to opposing offenses.
1. Improve Free Throw Percentage
10 of 10
The Tigers are only shooting 72.6 percent from the free throw line this season.
That's not a horrible number, but they have already been hurt by poor free throw shooting this year.
In their loss to Georgetown, a couple different Tigers had opportunities to seal the game with free throws, and they couldn't do it.
They'll probably have a game in the NCAA Tournament that comes down to free throws. If they can't hit the clutch attempts, they could be looking at an early exit.
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
