Mizzou basketball: Isiaih Mosley told coaches he's 'ready,' and what Alabama does well

After losing two games last week on the road and falling out of the top 25, Missouri basketball was in need of a rebound.

The Tigers got that with an upset of No. 25 Arkansas at Mizzou Arena.

Multiple facets of the win were impressive: Missouri closed the game on a 22-9 run, erased a 10-point deficit and overcame getting massively outrebounded in a game where fouls and reviews disrupted any and all offensive rhythm.

Now, MU has a chance for another upset when No. 4 Alabama comes to Columbia. The Tigers did that last year, upsetting No. 15 Alabama at Mizzou Arena. This year, the Tide are bigger and better, and the emphasis on bigger is where Gates noted their best attributes.

"They've been weathered," Gates said. "They have natural talent. They can make shots. They don't depend on one source of offense."

MU has been in a similar vein.

The Tigers have made the second-most 3-point shots in the SEC as of Friday, and are the most efficient scoring team in the conference.

Kobe Brown has maintained his ability to be a bruising scorer down in the post but has shot the ball better this year. D'Moi Hodge has played his way into the All-SEC conversation with his break-neck speed and ability to turn steals into quick points.

The cast behind Brown and Hodge fills in the gaps, too. Noah Carter, who missed the game against Arkansas due to health and safety protocols, will be available on Saturday. Isiaih Mosley, who hasn't played consistently this season, sounds like he's ready to be included on a more consistent basis.

Gates said Friday that the team has embraced Mosley throughout the season to this point. Mosley said he was ready to play, and Gates is honoring that.

"At this point, he said 'coach I'm ready,'" Gates said. "You got to allow people space."

With Mosley potentially factoring in on a more consistent basis, and players like Mohamed Diarra finding their way into the rotation Gates can inch closer to where he wants his team to be, which has not matched his standards.

"I have not seen my team play well yet," Gates said. "I'm not in a day-to-day mindset. I'm in the big picture."

Alabama basketball at a glance

Record: 16-2 overall, 6-0 in SEC

The Tide are formidable. Not just overall, but at this very moment in the season.

Missouri leads the SEC in a few offensive categories. Alabama is either leading in the other categories or leading outright itself.

The Crimson Tide's lone two losses were to top-20 teams in then-No. 20 Connecticut and then-No. 15 Gonzaga, both on neutral sites. Although the loss to Gonzaga was in Birmingham, Alabama, Alabama hasn't lost since thanks to that aforementioned offense.

Brandon Miller will be the biggest catalyst in the Tide's offense. The 6-foot-9 freshman forward is averaging 20.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. More frighteningly, Miller has a 46.3 3-point shooting percentage this year. His 20.1 points per game leads the SEC.

"I still think he's not where he's going to be," Gates said of Miller. "He has confidence."

There are three freshmen, Miller, Jaden Bradley and Noah Clowney, who are three of the Tide's four leading scoring players. Junior guard and Ohio transfer Mark Sears adds a veteran presence with a 40.2 3-point shooting percentage.

Alabama has averaged 84.6 points per game in its six SEC games and 84 points per game in 18 games. It's second to only Missouri's 84.1 points per game.

But, that's not the most concerning stat.

Making up elsewhere

Missouri is currently last in the SEC in rebounding. Alabama is currently the best rebounding team in the SEC.

Gates has spoken before about facing that rebounding deficit by being sharp in all other areas, but with a team as good at rebounding as Alabama closing that deficit could be a tall task. MU did it against Arkansas.

Alabama coach Nate Oats has been challenging the Tide to perform better on the rebounding end, too.

"Let’s hope the rebounding isn’t something that we have to keep addressing," Oats told reporters this past week. "Let’s get it addressed, it was great today, let’s try to make sure it’s great at Vanderbilt."

The biggest area MU needs to at least close the gap in is the offensive rebounding stat. Losing the defensive rebounding edge means more opportunities for second-chance points, but also allows the opposition to control the pace of the game.

Missouri, which thrives on its fast pace and the ability to score in transition, needs to control that pace. Forward Kobe Brown said Friday that winning the offensive rebounding game lies in just the desire to win the matchup.

"You have to want it more," Brown said.

Gates has said multiple times his year that MU is not playing well or at the level he wants the team to be. It's an idea of the standard he wants to set in Columbia.

However, Friday Gates mentioned how overall success comes in getting close to playing to the standard he's set. Coming close to that standard would mean more wins like Wednesday, where MU just added to its tournament resume.

A win over Alabama, which would be a top-five upset win, would just lift MU's resume close to the top of the pile.

"I'm excited about the possibility of that happening in 2023," Gates said.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou basketball: Isiaih Mosley is 'ready'; what Alabama does well