Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
With enough time to get up a quick two, but opting for a three which resulted in an airball, the Missouri Tigers lost on the road to the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday. The three was taken by the Tigers’ best player, Phil Pressey. However, it seemed like immediately after the shot went up, the guard knew he had made a mistake. As head coach Frank Haith looked on in disappointment over the last play, Pressey couldn’t even look his coach in the eye.
Regardless of how you felt about that possession for the Tigers, the story coming out of the game wasn’t play-calling. It was actually the growing (Now finished, I suppose) trend of the Tigers not being able to win on the road. Granted, most teams have much more success at home than on the road, but all of the NCAA Tournament games the Tigers play won’t be on their home court in Missouri.
Eight of the Tigers nine losses have come when they have been on the road. While it is safe to assume they are going dancing in the NCAA Tournament, the SEC tournament will still play a vital role in how the Tigers are going to be seeded. And again, those games won’t be played in the comfy confines of Mizzou Arena.
This is a problem that can’t really be fixed in practice. Either Missouri can win on the road or they can’t — there’s no in-between. Still, Haith has to figure something out so his squad can find some success in the postseason.
Joe is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow Joe on Twitter @JosephNardone
