Missouri’s 90-81 exhibition loss at UNLV on Thursday night didn’t count in the standings, but it still offered a clear look at where the Tigers are right now.
The biggest issue was effort on the glass. UNLV came out physical, hunted rebounds and won the early battle with a level of urgency Missouri couldn’t match.
The Rebels finished with 17 offensive rebounds and turned them into 20 second-chance points, a combination that helped them control the game even as Missouri tried to keep things close. Missouri’s expected rebound battle finished at -5.8, and the night felt even rougher than that.
That said, the Tigers’ defense wasn’t a total mess. The first shot defense held up reasonably well, and Missouri didn’t give up a ton of clean blow-bys.
The problem was what happened after the first stop. As the Rebels kept extending possessions, the Tigers had trouble finishing the job.
Jason Crowe played 36 minutes, Toni Bryant logged 28 and Aidan Chronister got 15. That trio, along with the rest of the roster, was simply outworked by UNLV’s physical approach.
Lindenwood transfer Dontrez Williams, a Sikeston native, shot just 1-5 and finished with 4 points, but he still posted a plus-21 because of how hard he played. Missouri also had trouble with MJ Thomas, the 6’8, 225-pound forward who collected five offensive rebounds, matching Tyrin Jones.
Ball security is shaping up as another early concern. Crowe, who is Missouri’s only point guard option even though he is not a point guard, committed five turnovers in 36 minutes.
Three were poor giveaways, while the other two were more forgivable. Either way, Missouri is going to have to live with some of that because the roster doesn’t offer many obvious alternatives.
Aaron Rowe’s early returns haven’t been encouraging either; he played just 8 minutes against UNLV after seeing even less time against Kansas State, and he didn’t look like someone making a strong push for more.
Bryson Tiller’s night raised its own questions. He is one of the most physically imposing players to wear a Missouri uniform, but through two exhibition games and roughly 50 minutes of action, he has already turned it over 10 times and made just 4 of 16 shots.
There were stretches against UNLV when he looked like the player Missouri wants him to be, but too often he drifted and looked passive. For the Tigers to reach their best version, they need him to be a force inside, not a player trying to do too much away from his strength.
Dennis Gates also made it clear this wasn’t about chasing a polished finish. Jamier Jones, CJ Gunn and Jaylen Carey were all sidelined and not dressed.
Mark Mitchell and Trent Pierce were again limited in the second half, and Gates leaned into the younger end of the roster late. Jordan Crawford didn’t enter until there were 7 minutes left, then Missouri tried to make a push with Crawford, Bryant, Crowe, Kennard Davis and Nicholas Randall on the floor.
In other words, this was not Missouri’s full-strength look, and it wasn’t the cleanest version of the Tigers either. But it was still a reminder of what needs fixing before next week, when the games start to count.
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