Even with Michael Porter Jr. still out due to injury, Missouri had no trouble in racing to a 99-55 win over Wagner at Mizzou Arena.
The Tigers were about as good as it gets from the floor in knocking down 32 of 47 field-goal attempts to shoot 68 percent on the night.
Kassius Robertson paced Missouri with 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting, which included going 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
Jordan Barnett added 13 points and five rebounds for the dominant Tigers.
Blake Francis led the way for Wagner with 17 points.
Missouri held the Seahawks to just 33 percent shooting from the field.
Lovell’s Analysis
So far, so good for the new-look Tigers.
And let’s remember that they’ve looked good with Porter playing only two minutes in the first two games.
The obvious concern is how long this hip injury will keep him out of action, but at least for now, other Missouri players are making their presence felt in showing that this is more than a one-man team.
I thought all summer long that the Tigers’ supporting cast was being a bit undervalued, and the returners and newcomers are already proving that.
Robertson, who I’ve talked about possibly being the second most important piece to the puzzle behind Porter, has been fantastic in his first two games with the program. His ability to knock down shots at a consistent rate gives this team an element that it was missing last season.
But we’ve also seen Barnett and Kevin Puryear pick up where they left off, and their experience is helping build a nice chemistry with all the young talent.
We still don’t know just how good Missouri can be since Porter has yet to see meaningful minutes.
However, at least through two games, it’s clear the Tigers have the pieces needed to win big in the SEC this season.