Lineup Review: Against South Dakota, Mizzou Looked Like the Team Its Lineups Promise

Over the first three weeks of the season, several caveats evolved into clichés for Missouri. 

First, the absence of three potential rotation pieces constrained coach Dennis Gates’ ability to experiment with lineups. On Thursday, that started to ease when wing Annor Boateng returned in a 102-68 victory against South Dakota. Unsurprisingly, the sophomore’s game had a modest layer of rust. 

Next, the caliber of competition MU lines up early on often means the action we do see is bland. The Tigers rely heavily on their secondary break almost half of the time, leveraging the latitude Gates gives his players in the first seven seconds of a possession. And when MU does pull the ball out and run action, it toggles between various ball-screen-centric actions. 

Yet the Coyotes’ visit ushered in a subtle shift in approach.

However, it doesn’t stick out when you look over Gates’ substitution pattern on the night, which you can see below. If anything, it’s the absence of an asset – in this case, Shawn Phillips Jr. – that stands as evidence. 

Mind you, Mizzou probably could have kept its offensive approach benign. 

Often, PNR-centric sets weren’t intended to tee up paint touches for guards. Instead, the Tigers used them to roll their big men into post touches or use delayed slips to generate high-quality rim attempts. The resulting gravity occasionally allowed Mark Mitchell or Jevon Porter to spray the ball out from the post. 

However, the lack of Phillips on the floor freed MU up to run more structured action. Why? The Arizona State transfer doesn’t have much experience as a reader or a connector at the elbow or at the top of the key. When he has a mismatch, the senior lacks the handle or creativity to attack off the bounce. And even if he’s off the ball, he’s frequently camped in the dunker spot – and bringing an extra defender into the lane. 

Before you watch any action in the clip packet below, just notice how much space is open below the free-throw line. Next, look at where MU’s frontcourt players are stationed. During away sets, Luke Northweather screens but will flare or relocate to a spot beyond the arc. During delay sets, Jacob Crews slides down to the four, while Jevon Porter is spaced out as a post or involved at the elbow. 

Later, we’ll see some horns-based sets with a jumbo lineup, but again, two big men are at the elbow, creating room for a forward to cut from the weak-side corner into post pin. The same concept is at play in the final clip, which shows a set triggered by a big screening for a guard, who turns out to the strong-side slot.

While Mitchell’s best position remains the ‘boss’ role, lineups that slid him up to the wing or down to the five worked out better than usual. Having better floor balance and actions with other big men who are capable shooters or passers – especially on high-low plays – doesn’t mean sacrificing offensive skill in the name of more size defensively. 

Obviously, we haven’t seen whether this setup translates against higher-caliber competition. For example, MU didn’t dial up many of these plays against Minnesota. It didn’t need to, though. Simply clearing out a side of the floor for Mitchell and letting him attack mismatches worked well enough. 

With two buy games remaining until a trip to South Bend, we’ll need to see if this was a one-game divergence, whether MU tries to repeat it with Phillips on the floor, or if it marks a shift in Phillips’ role. Meanwhile, the Tigers still have cleanup work on their to-do list. The most pressing task: cutting down turnovers. On Thursday, a handful of giveaways resulted from lazy entry passes, a bad decision on a kickout, or forcing action off the bounce.

Defensively, there’s a strong case that MU’s still too passive. While MU’s zone allowed only 0.533 points per possession, the lack of block-out duties gifted USD several second possessions, which they cashed in on with three-pointers. But when MU rolled out its press, USD’s efficiency cratered (0.375 PPP), and the Tigers were able to bleed enough possessions from the ‘Yotes to offset some of the second possessions they allowed.

If nothing else, ratcheting up pressure took USD – a team that wants to flow quickly into simple action – out of rhythm. With Issac Bruns and Jordan Crawford unable to make routine forays to the paint, the ‘Yotes started settling for jumpers. Once shooting variance swung away from the visitors, MU could begin cleaning the glass, come down and run action that exploited its size advantage. 

Unsurprisingly, the Tigers mounted a 10-0 run to take a 19-point lead early in the second half and later notched a second kill shot with a 14-0 run that ushered in garbage time. Stacking up stops makes those surges easier to mount. 

Looking over the position performance data underscores just how much every Tiger benefited on Thursday night. Take Sebastian Mack, for example. Two of his better outings have come without Phillips in the rotation. He’s also sporting a better scoring margin (+29) when Phillips sits than when they share the court (+13) this campaign. In that vein, Robinson’s best nights for scoring margin have unfolded without Phillips in the lineup.

Again, it’s possible that subtracting Phillips might create more traffic for those ball handlers to navigate when playing downhill. Rather than pile on Phillips and blame him for every issue, it’s probably best to clarify: he can be helpful in certain matchups and with specific lineup variations. The data suggests he should share the floor with at least one floor-spacer. And if Stone is the shooter on the court, then MU should probably keep T.O. Barrett sidelined until he gets turnovers under control. 

Mizzou’s blowout didn’t fix everything, but it offered us a better look at what the Tigers look like when the floor is spaced and the rotation isn’t fighting itself. That will only get better if Boateng starts resembling the player we saw in an exhibition against Kansas State and Trent Pierce returns to the mix. Recalibrating Phillips’ role might also create situations in which MU leverages Northweather, Porter, and Crews to generate unique gravity, making it easier for Mitchell to flourish in spots that suit him. 

It’s the same refrain we’ve come back to for three weeks: when the core pieces are in their natural roles, and when the lane isn’t clogged, the offense doesn’t need gimmicks or tempo. It just works.

Whether this was a one-off or the start of something more sustainable is still an open question. Will Gates rewind early-season experiments or trim away what isn’t working? Turnovers and defensive passivity still require attention, but Thursday night hinted at a rotation and structure that tilt the floor in MU’s favor. 

The challenge now is simple: build on it, refine it, and avoid drifting back into combinations that create more problems than answers.