Followers of Mizzou hoops have spent most of conference play fretting over the Tigers' struggles to keep sophomore forward Jeremiah Tilmon on the floor and out of foul trouble. That conversation will continue, but it should not overshadow another issue worth examining. Mizzou's defense has slipped. The Tigers are allowing an average of 80.7 points per game through their first three conference games. Last season, the Tigers held SEC opponents to a field-goal percentage of 41.8 percent. That was the stingiest a Tigers team had been in league play since Norm Stewart's 1998-99 team, which went 20-9 before losing to New Mexico in the NCAA tournament.
BenFred's 5: Mizzou basketball needs to rediscover its defensive swagger, and fast
