Dennis Gates dissects rare shooting that put # 4 Tennessee past No. 15 Mizzou

Getting past No. 4 Tennessee – Freans – on the road, no less – would always be a tough challenge for No. 15 Missouri Tigers.

Missouri held his foot on the gas until the last second, but a 57-point second half from Tennessee just put the game out of reach in an 85-81 loss. Although the volunteers have been a top team at the southeastern conference throughout the season, their offensive output was a bit of an outlier.

Before Wednesday night, Tennessee shot about 33 percent behind the arch as a team. It set it as the 10th best shooting team at the conference, while the tigers ranked with confidence at No. 2 by almost 38 percent. It would typically be their advantage, but the volunteers proved something else with their strongest offensive performance in the SEC game.

Tennessee shot a mighty effective 10-of-15 on 3-Pointers, on average to 66.7%. By himself, Zakai Zeigler ended the night with a perfect 4-of-4. While Missouri had a significantly larger attempt, its 12-of-30 was pale in comparison with efficiency.

“When you shoot 60 percent from the 3 in the second half, 50 percent off the field, this is where they won that game,” coach Dennis Gates said after the loss.

Zeigler recorded 21 points, three rebounds and eight assists on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. Although he has shot a fuzzy 28% behind the arch this season, his shot was on and the tigers struggled to adapt. These mean that it could have been prevented, instead of hurting them in the end.

It is not to mention Igor Milicic Jr., who added another 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. By combining for a full 42 points with Zeigler, it created an offensive tandem that took over the other half predominantly.

Along with 17 second chance points and 21-of-26 shooting from the free-casting line in the second half clicked EVERYTHING for the volunteers. Although Missouri set a fixed battle, it couldn’t find enough of a way to adapt.

“When the team gets hot, you had to minimize their second chance points, which we didn’t. When they missed it, we didn’t restore … beyond that, Zakai Zeigler didn’t shoot so well this season,” said Gates. “It’s the curve that comes back to haunt you, especially in these situations.”

It is difficult to overcome any attack of offense that Tennessee was able to achieve, although Tigers could have performed on both ends better. They fought until the clock hit zero, no matter how many free kicks it took.

Missouri returns home in an attempt to jump back against No. 10 Texas A&M AGGIES at. 14:30 Saturday in Mizzou Arena.

Late comeback not enough for No. 15 Mizzou at No. 4 Tennessee