COLUMBIA, Mo. _ It's going to be hard enough for teams at full strength to outscore Tennessee this season. The Missouri Tigers learned Tuesday it might be impossible to beat the third-ranked Volunteers with three core players on the bench.
Tennessee wrestled complete control of the Tigers' Southeastern Conference opener with a 24-4 run late in the second half of Tuesday's 87-63 thrashing, doing all that damage with three Mizzou starters out of the game with multiple fouls. The loss was MU's most lopsided under second-year coach Cuonzo Martin and the team's worst loss since a 93-54 loss at Florida on Feb. 2, 2017.
The Vols pulled off their second straight SEC blowout without much production from reigning SEC player of the year Grant Williams. Then again, he's not the only reason Tennessee is ranked No. 3 and looks like a genuine national championship contender.
Jorden Bowden led four UT players in double figures with 20 points off the bench as Tennessee improved to 13-1 and 2-0 in the SEC. The Vols outscored Mizzou in transition points 12-0 and in the paint 40-26.
Xavier Pinson led the Tigers with 14 points.
In their first game in 11 days, the Tigers (9-4, 0-1 SEC) exploded for a 27-18 lead midway through the first half with center Jeremiah Tilmon and guards Mark Smith and Javon Pickett on the bench, all three with two early fouls. Especially early in Tilmon's case. Any hope the sophomore had learned to play without the early senseless fouls that's dogged his short career were dashed in MU's third possession.
Tilmon took himself out of the first half just 2:15 into the game after a charging foul followed by a quick technical foul as he walked away from a collision with UT's Kyle Alexander _ but not before apparently saying something the officials didn't like. Not four minutes later the Tigers lost Smith to his second foul.
After an offensive foul on Tennessee's Admiral Schofield, Vols coach Rick Barnes got into the action, going ballistic on the sideline to earn a technical foul, resulting in two Jordan Geist free throws.
Fortunatley for the Tigers, Geist carried his gutsy shooting into the new year. After Geist badly missed 3, Xavier Pinson corralled the rebound, slid a behind-the-back pass to Kevin Puryear, who found Geist on the wing for an open 3 and a 17-10 lead.
The Vols broke up an 11-0 run but struggled to get anything going on the offensive end. Geist, meanwhile, continued to quarterback his depleted lineup, finding Pickett for an open 3 and Puryear with a no-look bounce pass for a thunderous dunk.
But the Vols pulled off a 10-0 run with Williams and Schofield on the bench and took a 28-27 lead on a couple Bowden free throws. Gradually, Mizzou's foul problems tested Martin's bench beyond repair. The Vols finished the half on a 24-4 run and held the Tigers without a field goal in the final 7:04. With reserves Reed Nikko and K.J. Santos playing heavy minutes, Mizzou misfired on its last nine field goal attempts in the half. There was only so much Martin could squeeze out of Geist, who had 12 points and four assists at the break. Geist was scoreless in the second half.
The Vols put their superior depth on display. Williams finished the half scoreless on five shots and Schofield managed only one 3-pointer, but the Tennessee Jordans _ guards Bone and Bowden _ combined for 25 points.
It took all of 46 seconds in the second half for Tilmon to pick up his third foul and he was done for good with 6:08 when Schofield drew an offensive foul in the post. Tilmon was barely a factor, finishing with three points and a rebound in nine minutes.
The Tigers especially missed his presence on the defensive end as Tennessee took aim at the Mizzou Arena rims and routinely got there without much resistance. Center Kyle Alexander dominated inside, finishing with 14 points and 17 rebounds _ without committing a foul in 32 minutes.
Williams fouled out with a season-low four points. The Vols never seemed to miss him. Schofield finished a strong second half with 16 points, while Bone added 17.
.jpg?w=600)
