General game notes
The game was entertaining at times, but it was ultimately near-wire-to-wire control by the Saint Louis Billikens, pulling off the “upset” victory over the Missouri Tigers. Early on, it was high-octane offense and stingy gap defense for SLU, clogging passing lanes, racking up deflections, and getting out in transition to find easy buckets. On top of that, some lazy off-ball defense and the occasional zone coverage facilitated a handful of wide-open threes for the Billikens, which they ultimately cashed in, giving them the cushion needed to hold a strong lead heading into the half. When the second half rolled around, Mizzou looked to punch back a bit, upping the physicality and running more offense through its post hubs (Bryson Tiller and Mark Mitchell). However, the lack of guard-led offense — something I’ll get into later — forced a lot more midpost isolation and slow offense than what the Tigers were likely looking for, allowing SLU to balance through shooting woes, find their groove, and ultimately extend its lead enough to secure the victory.
There’s no other way to put it: SLU outclassed the Tigers. They looked like the better team. But you likely aren’t here for my X’s and O’s breakdown. So let’s get into the prospects.
Power Bats
Jason Crowe Jr. | Mizzou | Freshman
8 PTS - 4 REB - 7 AST
3-18 FG - 0-7 3pt - 2-2 FT
Starting with the crown jewel of the game and the most highly touted prospect entering the night, five-star freshman guard Jason Crowe Jr. Again, I’ll keep it blunt here: The 18-year-old struggled. Now, I know that Mizzou fans are likely frustrated with his performance, and they have the right to feel that way. Going 3-for-18 from the field and 0-for-7 from three-point range speaks for itself, and the tape doesn’t exactly tell a prettier story.
Early on, it was fairly clear that Crowe hadn’t really seen anything like this before. He has, of course, played nearly his entire career having to sit at the top of an opposing team’s scouting report. The length, athleticism, and ball pressure that SLU was able to put on him, though, clearly overwhelmed him. Crowe got going early on, deploying a nice shot fake to get his defender off his feet before sliding into a one-dribble pull-up in the midrange. However, after that make, he really wasn’t able to find many other clean looks. Crowe followed that make with some iffy takes and a pair of silly turnovers, one where he stepped out of bounds on a baseline drive and the other a forced backdoor pass that never had a completion window. On top of that, his activity away from the ball on the defensive end was putrid, to put it lightly. I counted four times in real time when he short-closed or missed a rotation that resulted in a three-point make for the Billikens, with Trey Green in particular giving him issues. I don’t exactly know how to describe it, but on multiple occasions, Crowe looked uncomfortable closing space against him, which in turn resulted in some easy threes for one of the best shooters in the country.
