3 Takeaways from Mizzou Basketball's Win Over Long Island

Still without a dynamic scorer, the Missouri Tigers continued to show flashes through their non-conference schedule.

Dec 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Anthony Robinson II (0) shoots and is fouled by LIU Sharks Jason Stelle (8) during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers earned their ninth win of the season Saturday, securing a 88-61 win over Long Island.

In the nine wins, Missouri has outscored opponents by 229 points. The win over Long Island was the Tigers' fifth win by 20 or more points on the season.

Missouri now has just three non-conference games remaining before starting its journey through the ringer of the SEC on Jan. 4. After taking care of business Saturday, the Tigers have reason to be optimistic entering the final stretch of the calendar year.

Here's three takeaways from the win for Missouri.

Hello, Trent Pierce

Sophomore Anthony Robinson II has taken over for the Tigers this season as a young star, but Trent Pierce reminded everyone of his potential Saturday. The four-star prospect scored a career-high of 24 points in the win. 17 of those came in the final seven minutes of the first half.

"He's going to be unbelievable for us," head coach Dennis Gates said of Pierce.

Pierce also made all three of his attempts from the free-throw line, and grabbed four rebounds. The 6-foot-10, 270-pounder was Missouri's most efficient player of the day.

"You didn't see him blink at all when it came down to drawing fouls, when it came down to driving gaps, when it came down to pursuing rebounds. And obviously the byproduct of that, you didn't see him think. He was just right there patiently waiting for open jump shots."

Cooking, Not Grilling, from Three

Thanks to Pierce and other contributors, Missouri had one of its most efficient days of three-point shooting on the season. In the previous two games combined, the Tigers had shot just 22 attempts from outside the arc, only making seven of those. Both of these numbers were due to the absence of guard Caleb Grill, who is currently dealing with a neck injury.

Missouri made 14 of their 28 shots from three Saturday, an encouraging sign that the Tigers' preimeter offense can still find rhythm without Grill. It wasn't a complex game plan that led to this success, but rather disciplined, intelligent offense.

"The difference was what they was giving us," Gates said. "And also was our rotations and who was on the court together. ... I thought our guys played simple basketball. They didn't try to do too much. They took what the defense gave us."

The story on Long Island entering Saturday was the agressiveness fostered by head coach Rod Strickland. Missouri was able to take advantage of that, finding open looks.

"We knew they were a switching team, so just to confuse them with certain actions," Pierce said. "And it showed up, they got confused. They messed up on their rotations and let guys open a few times."

Marques Warrick, a transfer from Northern Kentucky, tied his best three-point shooting performance as a Tiger, making four of his five shots from the perimeter.

Grill is still the Tigers' best shooter, but Saturday was the first sign of evidence that Missouri can still find success from three-point land without him.

Depth

Missouri has boasted its depth all season long. Now, it's actually been battle tested with the win over Kansas, where 11 different players took the court for the Tigers. The win over Long Island continued the show many ways in which Missouri can win.

"Any night, it can be any guy," Gates said.

53 of Missouri's points came from the bench. Additionally, Pierce became the seventh player to lead the team in scoring in a game this season. A different player has shined nearly every night for the Tigers. Heading into conference play soon, it will be all about turning those flashes into consistent contributions.

"It starts the relationship of our players and belief within the system that we're running," Gates said. "They believe in each other. They're very unselfish in spirit. They know we're going to win by committee. We just want our guys, what they can bring at their very best, we want them to bring it."

Missouri will next take the court Tuesday, hosting Jacksonville State.