This season has been a tale of two teams.
There’s the ferocious Missouri Tigers at Mizzou Arena, and the caged version that goes on the road.
After a heartbreakingly close loss Saturday to Texas A&M in Columbia, the first Tiger loss in Mizzou Arena in the last five games and since Nov. 26, the Tigers hold a 6-3 record at home this year, including a signature Southeastern Conference win against then-No. 15 Alabama and a very close loss to the SEC-leading Aggies (15-2).
The Tigers are shooting about 45 percent overall, outrebounding opponents 358-295 and forcing 13.6 turnovers per game when at Mizzou Arena. In front of their home crowd, the Tigers score about 72.8 points per game, while allowing only 64.1.
Then there’s the road Tigers.
Missouri has played four true road games and lost all four by an average margin of 37.3 points.
Add in the Tigers’ 1-2 record in neutral-site games, with the two losses by a combined 44 points and the lone win against SMU by five points in overtime and its not hard to see something isn’t translating for the Tigers.
Maybe it’s just comfort level with their surroundings. The Tigers have hit 242-of-540 shots in front of their home crowds, and make about 24.9 percent (44-of-177) of their attempts from deep.
Not great, but a significant improvement to their road shooting.
Away from the comforts of Mizzou Arena, the Tigers make just 35 percent (144-of-406) of their total attempts from the field and a weirdly better 25.4 percent (36-of-142) from 3.
But it’s not just the Tigers’ shooting that suffers on the road, Missouri commits nearly 17.6 turnovers per game, almost 5.5 more than at home, and their rebounds per game drop from 39.8 to 33.
Missouri’s defense also plays significantly better at home.
The Tigers’ allow about 64 points per game at home, while holding opponents to 41 percent shooting, but on the road, that points per game rate raises to 83.1 while teams playing the Tigers make just under 51 percent of total shots. Three point success for Missouri opponents goes from 33.2 percent (61-of-184) to 40.1 (63-of-157).
The Tigers’ road schedule hasn’t been easy thus far, facing SMU (13-4), Florida State (10-5), Liberty (11-6), No. 8 Kansas (14-2), Illinois (13-3), No. 18 Kentucky (14-3) and Arkansas (12-5) away from home for an opponent combined winning percentage of almost 76 percent, but it doesn’t get easier. Missouri is in the top 20 in the country in strength of schedule for a reason.
Most of Missouri’s remaining games are in SEC play with road matchups still coming against Mississippi (9-6), a rematch with now-unranked Alabama (11-6), Iowa State (14-3), another matchup with Texas A&M, Vanderbilt (10-6), Mississippi State (12-4), LSU (15-2) and South Carolina (10-6).
That’s eight of 14 remaining games played away from home and the Tigers sitting at two games under .500.
If the Tigers continue to play the way they have on the road thus far, it’s not unreasonable to think they may go winless away from Mizzou Arena with really only a possibility of a win in two or three games.
But if Missouri can transfer the way it played in a major upset win against Alabama and in the close loss to an incredibly talented Texas A&M team yesterday onto the road, the Tigers may have a real shot to finish above .500 and cause some trouble in the SEC Tournament.
If Missouri wants to finish at or above .500, let alone perform well in any tournaments come February and March, the Tigers will need to do whatever they can to pretend every game is at Mizzou Arena.