Mistakes at Missouri

Originally Published: Jan 30, 2010 5:50 PM CDT

No rocket science needed here.  Missouri’s full-court pressure, and the Tigers’ ability to finally knock down 3-point shots kept enough distance between them and the Cowboys in Columbia.  For the second straight game, ball security in the first half was a major issue for OSU, which came into the game averaging just under 12 turnovers per contest.  The Cowboys had more than that in the opening 20 minutes.

There were spurts to close gaps, but every time the Cowboys got close, including at 52-51 early in the second half, Missouri strung together a long-range shot or two or three, and sometimes sandwiched that around a couple of OSU turnovers.

The Tigers made 17 of 31 three point shots, a better average than their other field goals, and better than their 10 of 20 effort from the free throw line.  The Cowboys got 31 from James Anderson and a solid 21 points and 9 rebounds from Matt Pilgrim, but that was undone by all the errors.

That’s 32 straight wins for Missouri at home, so no shame in losing in Columbia.  The problem is that with better ball security it would have been close, and the Cowboys’ chances of stopping that streak would have gone way up.

Now at 4-3 in the Big 12, there's another huge opportunity with Texas in Stillwater on Monday night.  Freshman Ray Penn’s left knee has been feeling better, and there’s hope he will be able to play, but he most likely will be a game-time decision.