Mizzou men’s basketball falls to Notre Dame in back-and-forth thriller

In its biggest game to date, Mizzou came up just short. The Tigers fell to Notre Dame 76-71, picking up their first loss of the season in South Bend.

The game’s most pivotal sequence came in the waning moments of regulation. Cole Certa knocked down a deep 3-pointer to put Notre Dame up 72-69 with 17 seconds left in regulation. On the other end, Jacob Crews rushed — and missed — a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and the rebound was corralled by the Irish. Markus Burton made a pair of free throws, and Mizzou ran out of time for a miracle comeback.

Tuesday was a game of runs. Trailing 40-33 after 20 minutes, the Irish opened the second half on a 20-6 run. Mizzou, which entered Tuesday as one of the most efficient 2-point shooting teams, started the second half just 2-of-11 from inside the arc. On the other end, Notre Dame was taking — and making — quality shots.

The two teams went back and forth down the stretch, trading big-time baskets from all over the floor. Neither team had a lead greater than four from the 10-minute mark on.

One of the most interesting part of Tuesday was that the script was completely different in the first half. Mizzou’s style of play was reminiscent of an adjustment it made against California in last season’s ACC/SEC Challenge.

Trailing by 17 points at halftime, MU made a drastic change in the second half: the Tigers almost entirely abandoned the 3-pointer, attempting just three shots from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes. Instead, Mizzou blitzed the Golden Bears with 2-pointers, converting 22-of-26 attempts from inside the arc in the second half. The Tigers also scored 16 points off of 10 turnovers.

Mizzou’s 3-point shooting mirrored the freezing temperature in South Bend, as the Tigers missed their first seven attempts from beyond the arc, and shot 6-of-21 overall.

But in the house of Mary, Jacob Crews was a saving grace. He converted 5-of-10 3-point attempts and scored 22 points.

In the first half, the Tigers were able to mitigate the struggles from downtown with active hands on defense and efficient 2-point shooting on offense. Mizzou forced 10 turnovers, which it turned into 18 points. Its best defensive sequence featured Annor Boateng deflecting a pass like a defensive lineman and flushing it with two hands at the other end. Moments later, Anthony Robinson II pick-pocketed Logan Imes and threw down a dunk of his own. After Mark Mitchell came up with a steal on the ensuing possession, Crews canned a wide-open corner triple to put MU ahead 26-19. The Tigers were also 12-of-15 from inside the arc.

Elsewhere, Mark Mitchell was an 18-wheeler going downhill all evening, as Notre Dame couldn’t do much once he got into the paint. He finished with a game-high 26 points, and he also canned a 3-pointer to put Mizzou up 63-61 with just over four minutes left in regulation.

Games like Tuesday night’s were extra-vital for the Tigers since they don’t have many opportunities to boost their resume outside of conference play. MU’s nonconference strength of schedule ranked No. 364 out of 365 entering Tuesday, with only Miami (OH) checking in behind them.

Against Notre Dame, Mizzou squandered a rare opportunity.

The Tigers will travel to Kansas City for their next game against Kansas, which lost a tight contest to UConn on Tuesday night in Lawrence.