A week before Missouri’s basketball season tipped off, the first-year head coach said he wanted to see his team respond the first time centerpiece player Kobe Brown picked up early fouls.
“I need to wish for other things,” he joked Tuesday night.
That’s because, sure enough, less than two minutes into Mizzou’s visit from Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Brown was whistled for his second foul. The preseason All-Southeastern Conference forward headed to the bench for the rest of the half, just the setback that crippled the Tigers several times last season.
But not Tuesday.
Sparked by D’Moi Hodge’s shooting outburst, Mizzou put its scoring balance and unselfishness on display again, cruising past the Cougars 105-80 at Mizzou Arena, MU’s highest-scoring game in more than a decade.