Lineup Performance: Missouri vs. Ole Miss

Really, I tried. 

I thought about a pithy way to start a piece analyzing Missouri’s 83-75 victory over Ole Miss. I even tried to find a possession or scene that could elegantly sum it up. And I came up with bupkis.

Because sometimes, a performance is perfunctory. Or hum-drum. Or no frills. Pick your descriptor or synonym, and it probably applies to the 40-minute sample MU displayed on Saturday. 

You know what? That’s a good thing. I’d submit that a blasé win over a top-25 opponent at home in late February should give you a bullish outlook. 

Outside of an 8-0 spurt to start the game, Ole Miss never mustered sustained periods of potency to make you think it could dig out a road win. And despite some loose ball-handling and dodgy finishing at the rim, the Tigers comfortably assumed control midway through the first half and put the car in cruise control. 

When we review the substitution pattern, it’s not hard to spot when the Tigers hit a few potholes. Feeding minutes to Aidan Shaw and Peyton Marshall over four minutes didn’t produce magical returns, but the Tigers still emerged with a plus-2 scoring margin. Then, Caleb Grill buried a 3-ball out of a timeout at 3:10, and the Tigers’ lead moved back to seven points.

Now, Ole Miss did pare the lead down in the second half, closing within 54-51 with roughly 10 minutes to go. That stretch saw MU commit several turnovers and suffer several defensive breakdowns. Yet those gaffes trace to individuals and aren’t owed to schematic issues or lineup construction. 

And again, MU relied on Grill to restore a buffer. The sixth-year senior drilled a corner 3 off a nice skip pass from Mark Mitchell in a delay set to push the edge back to six. Two possessions later, Trent Pierce drew a foul on a slot drive to earn a pair of freebies. Nineteen seconds later, he scored on a corner drive after a live-ball turnover. Within 90 seconds, the Tigers led by eight and were never seriously threatened again.

What’s notable is the Tigers’ stymied game pressure without resorting to major tactical adjustments. They relied on basic defensive principles while mixing in some zone. Offensively, they tried to exploit the Rebels on the break and used off-the-rack delay sets in the half-court. 

The execution wasn’t always pristine but good enough to keep Ole Miss at bay. 

That’s reflected when we look at lineup configurations, too.

Most of the lineups that struggled featured a traditional five or were part of coach Dennis Gates’ very modest efforts to keep some reserves engaged during the first half. But the starting five finished plus-2 in 9:28 of floor time, and the Tigers’ top five groups amassed a plus-13 edge in almost 26 minutes. 

Lineups featuring core pieces coasted – despite the giveaways and point-blank misses. 

Unsurprisingly, lots of Tigers posted positive results – despite their positional designation. The only outlier is Tony Perkins, who finished 1 of 4 from the floor and turned the ball over three times. You can attribute his minus-1 mark at point guard solely to the company he kept while on the floor. 

By contrast, Bates’ margin suffered a dent from MU getting a little loose in garbage time. Otherwise, the margins mostly align with the figures Sam Snelling shared in Study Hall and from watching the action unfold. 

Saturday’s most notable aspect was how short Gates kept his bench. Only 10 Tigers saw action, and reserves like Gray, Crews, Shaw and Marshall only mustered 14.7 percent of minutes. And MU didn’t try to slide minutes to freshmen like T.O. Barrett or Marcus Allen. 

My supposition: Gates and his staff knew they needed this result. Would Klaxons blare if MU lost? No. Not in the short term. Yet, I get a subtle sense of urgency. Heading to Mississippi State, where the Bulldogs play physically and get friendly home whistles, on a two-game losing streak would have ratcheted up anxiety. Oh, it’s followed by a sojourn to Knoxville to face Tennessee.

So, there’s a scenario where a loss to Ole Miss ushers in a three- or four-game skid. To forestall that possibility, Gates turned to trusted hands. They delivered for him.