Mizzou Guard's Aggressiveness Against California Leads to Career Night

The Tigers' breakout sophomore star had the best game of his career to date in an important comeback win over the Golden Bears.

Dec. 3, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tiger guard Anthony Robinson II (2) attempts an uncontested floater against the California Golden Bears at Mizzou Arena. / Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

You might not have expected a career-best performance from Ant Robinson II against the California Golden Bears, but Robinson's mom sure did.

"My mom called me and she said, I feel a good game coming, Robinson said. "My mom always got me so I stayed with that and it just came to me tonight."

With the belief of his mother on his side, Robinson had a scoring explosion. The best performance of Robinson's career to date was highlighted by 29 points and six assists. He did all of that scoring without attempting a single shot from the perimeter, marking a true sign of his aggressiveness and ability to draw contact in the paint.

Cal's defense did not allow for the Tigers to take a high volume of three-point shots, which forced head coach Dennis Gates to pivot his offensive game plan. In turn, the Tigers planned to attack the basket and draw fouls, which benefits Robinson's style of play.

“Changing the game plan was obviously getting to the basket, shortening the game [and] getting to the free throw line,” Gates said.

All night, Robinson got downhill and created his shot, whether it was around the rim or in the mid-range. At this point, that exact skill set is a trademark of what Robinson brings to the table and he put that on full display against the Golden Bears. He was patient and efficient at his spots, only missing three of his 11 shot attempts. He also made 13 free throws on 15 attempts, the most of any game in his career.

“That's just a part of who I am, just staying aggressive at all times,” Robinson said. “When to create content, when not to, that's just part of my game and I'm growing in that area.”

Sure, Robinson used his speed and strength to get downhill, but the intelligence with which he made split-second decisions could go unnoticed. Most of Robinson's drives came from ball screens where California defenders went under and sagged away from him. Simply put, this gave Robinson too much space to create and shoot his shot.

“I knew they were going to be in drop coverage so that little area is going to be open,” Robinson said. “Just staying focused and ready for that shot.”

Most of the adjustments in-game came from the players acknowledging what the Golden Bears were throwing at them, but Gates did make the decision to not focus on perimeter scoring. The Tigers only attempted nine triples, making three. Tamar Bates, Mark Mitchell and Marques Warrick were the only Tigers to make a triple. Robinson didn't need it to get to his 29-point mark.

“The one thing I did do was simplify offensively and just go right into high-ball screens and that's an adjustment that I made, but my voice was minimized,” Gates said.

Robinson had other help, especially from his two centers. Freshman Peyton Marshall and senior Josh Gray may not have jumped out in the box score, but the screens both big men were able to set to allow Robinson to get downhill made as big of an impact on the game as Robinson's scoring himself. Those screens forced his defenders into drop coverage, again giving him space to score.

“Shout out to Peyton [Marshall] and Josh [Gray]. They set great screens and allowed me to see the floor better,” Robinson said. “My guy was in drop [coverage], so I'm just reading the game.”

The second-year guard has grown as more than just a scorer and playmaker. Slowly, Robinson has morphed into Missouri's starting point guard. It's forced him to be more of a leader vocally on both sides of the floor, also making it easier for him to command the offense.

“You can look in the stat sheet and look at certain things that he did, but what's telling is his leadership, his tenacity and different things like that,” Gates said.

His composed presence will be relied on when the Tigers host the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Read More Missouri Tigers News:

Mizzou Comes Out on Top of California in Back-and-Forth Battle in SEC-ACC Challenge
Caleb Grill Ruled Out of Mizzou's Matchup vs. Cal on Tuesday
'He Likes to Play in Silence': Mizzou's Anthony Robinson II Growing Communication in Sophomore Year