Scouting report: No. 20 Arizona Wildcats vs. Missouri Tigers
- Updated
Prepare for Arizona's game against Missouri on Saturday morning with Bruce Pascoe's in-depth scouting report.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Matchup:Β No. 20 Arizona (7-2) at Missouri (5-3)Β
Location:Β Columbia, Mo.Β
Time:Β 10 a.m.Β
TV:Β ESPN2Β
Radio:Β 1290-AM, 107.5-FMΒ
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The series: Arizona is 3-1 alltime over Missouri, but the teams have never met in Columbia and half of the games were in Hawaii. The Wildcats blew out the Tigers 88-52 last season at McKale Center, holding Missouri to just 30.4 percent shooting, while also beating the Tigers in the 2014-15 Maui Invitational. In the 1994 Elite Eight, Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves combined for 53 points to help UA beat the Tigers 92-72 to reach the Final Four. In 1984-85, UA lost 76-73 to Missouri in a game played at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
In coach Kim Anderson's third year, the Tigers finally appear to be heading in the right direction. But Missouri is young and offensively inefficient, shooting just 29.1 percent from 3-point range. The Tigersβ defense, however, has held its mostly mid-major opponents to 35.8 percent shooting. Freshman guard Frankie Hughes is the Tigersβ top gunner, taking 61 percent of his shots from 3-point range, but heβs hitting those threes at only a 28.6 percent rate. Sophomore Terrence Phillips is a reliable presence on both sides of the court, while Kevin Puryear is Mizzouβs most productive frontcourt player. Heβs the Tigersβ top rebounder and effective, if slightly undersized, as a post-up scorer. Russell Woods adds experience and size inside, showing signs of improvement after a struggle last season while adjusting from junior college. Wing Cullen VanLeer isnβt exceptionally quick but heβs a good shooter with a high basketball IQ. Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The dynamic California product is sometimes inconsistent but he's the Tigersβ unquestioned leader already as a sophomore. He has a 2-1 assist-turnover ratio and is as capable scorer who can get to the line or hit the occasional 3-pointer.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
While the gifted freshman guard will be trying to fend off a shooting slump, the Wildcats will also need him just as much to help defend Hughes and the Tigers' other shooters on the other end of the court.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
While UA coach Sean Miller says heβs had a full complement of players available for practice, having received redshirt guard Dylan Smith back from a concussion and having continued practice availability for the ineligible Allonzo Trier, heβs talking about taking it easy on his seven active players.
βWeβll kind of have two different types of practices,β Miller said earlier this week. βAnytime thereβs gonna be contact, itβll be really short. When itβs not contact, weβre gonna work on things in a different way. Thatβs what a coach is about a staff about and weβre trying to be as smart as we can.β
More than anything, Miller says, the Wildcats just need to be careful.
βGod forbid if anyone else were to get hurt, we would really be in dire straits,β he said. βItβs still early December so weβre trying to be smart but thereβs so much of the season left. We have to work to improve.βΒ
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Former Missouri coach Frank Haith served a five-game suspension in 2013-14 at Missouri for violations that happened during his seven-year stint at Miami. Then, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune, he left Missouri for Tulsa in the spring of 2014 just four days after the NCAA delivered a verbal notice of inquiry into allegations of violations.
Those violations eventually resulted in Missouriβs decision to self-impose a ban from the 2015-16 postseason (including the SEC Tournament), to vacate all wins from 2013-14 and impose several recruiting restrictions β penalties that the NCAA later accepted.
Among the violations, according to the Daily Tribune, were payments to three players and a recruit for work that wasnβt done during a summer internship, as well as a βfriends and familyβ hotel rate and free meals offered to 11 players and three family members. Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Third year coach Kim Anderson is aiming to brand the Tigers as a program that plays hard-nosed, fundamental basketball. And if they donβt meet that standard, well, heβll just rip that brand off.
After Missouri lost 62-52 to North Carolina Central on Nov. 28, neither the coaches nor players were allowed to wear anything representing the university to practice.
βWe feel like we didnβt play like the Missouri Tigers,β guard Terrence Phillips told the Columbia Missourian. βThatβs one of the things weβve been doing, getting our frame of mind back.β
Maybe they did. Since the loss, Missouri has beaten Western Kentucky 59-56 and Miami (Ohio) 81-55 at home. Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
5: Or more assists by Kadeem Allen (6), Rawle Alkins (6) and Kobi Simmons (5) against UC Irvine on Tuesday.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
73.1:Β Arizonaβs winning percentage under Sean Miller in day games.Β
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
346: Missouri’s rank of 351 Division I teams in experience, according to KenPom.com
The series: Arizona is 3-1 alltime over Missouri, but the teams have never met in Columbia and half of the games were in Hawaii. The Wildcats blew out the Tigers 88-52 last season at McKale Center, holding Missouri to just 30.4 percent shooting, while also beating the Tigers in the 2014-15 Maui Invitational. In the 1994 Elite Eight, Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves combined for 53 points to help UA beat the Tigers 92-72 to reach the Final Four. In 1984-85, UA lost 76-73 to Missouri in a game played at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Β
In coach Kim Anderson's third year, the Tigers finally appear to be heading in the right direction. But Missouri is young and offensively inefficient, shooting just 29.1 percent from 3-point range. The Tigersβ defense, however, has held its mostly mid-major opponents to 35.8 percent shooting. Freshman guard Frankie Hughes is the Tigersβ top gunner, taking 61 percent of his shots from 3-point range, but heβs hitting those threes at only a 28.6 percent rate. Sophomore Terrence Phillips is a reliable presence on both sides of the court, while Kevin Puryear is Mizzouβs most productive frontcourt player. Heβs the Tigersβ top rebounder and effective, if slightly undersized, as a post-up scorer. Russell Woods adds experience and size inside, showing signs of improvement after a struggle last season while adjusting from junior college. Wing Cullen VanLeer isnβt exceptionally quick but heβs a good shooter with a high basketball IQ. Β
The dynamic California product is sometimes inconsistent but he's the Tigersβ unquestioned leader already as a sophomore. He has a 2-1 assist-turnover ratio and is as capable scorer who can get to the line or hit the occasional 3-pointer.Β
While the gifted freshman guard will be trying to fend off a shooting slump, the Wildcats will also need him just as much to help defend Hughes and the Tigers' other shooters on the other end of the court.Β
While UA coach Sean Miller says heβs had a full complement of players available for practice, having received redshirt guard Dylan Smith back from a concussion and having continued practice availability for the ineligible Allonzo Trier, heβs talking about taking it easy on his seven active players.
βWeβll kind of have two different types of practices,β Miller said earlier this week. βAnytime thereβs gonna be contact, itβll be really short. When itβs not contact, weβre gonna work on things in a different way. Thatβs what a coach is about a staff about and weβre trying to be as smart as we can.β
More than anything, Miller says, the Wildcats just need to be careful.
βGod forbid if anyone else were to get hurt, we would really be in dire straits,β he said. βItβs still early December so weβre trying to be smart but thereβs so much of the season left. We have to work to improve.βΒ
Former Missouri coach Frank Haith served a five-game suspension in 2013-14 at Missouri for violations that happened during his seven-year stint at Miami. Then, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune, he left Missouri for Tulsa in the spring of 2014 just four days after the NCAA delivered a verbal notice of inquiry into allegations of violations.
Those violations eventually resulted in Missouriβs decision to self-impose a ban from the 2015-16 postseason (including the SEC Tournament), to vacate all wins from 2013-14 and impose several recruiting restrictions β penalties that the NCAA later accepted.
Among the violations, according to the Daily Tribune, were payments to three players and a recruit for work that wasnβt done during a summer internship, as well as a βfriends and familyβ hotel rate and free meals offered to 11 players and three family members. Β
Third year coach Kim Anderson is aiming to brand the Tigers as a program that plays hard-nosed, fundamental basketball. And if they donβt meet that standard, well, heβll just rip that brand off.
After Missouri lost 62-52 to North Carolina Central on Nov. 28, neither the coaches nor players were allowed to wear anything representing the university to practice.
βWe feel like we didnβt play like the Missouri Tigers,β guard Terrence Phillips told the Columbia Missourian. βThatβs one of the things weβve been doing, getting our frame of mind back.β
Maybe they did. Since the loss, Missouri has beaten Western Kentucky 59-56 and Miami (Ohio) 81-55 at home. Β
5: Or more assists by Kadeem Allen (6), Rawle Alkins (6) and Kobi Simmons (5) against UC Irvine on Tuesday.Β
73.1:Β Arizonaβs winning percentage under Sean Miller in day games.Β
346: Missouri’s rank of 351 Division I teams in experience, according to KenPom.com
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