Missouri showcased its dominance yet again on Friday night, defeating Pacific with a resounding 91 - 56 score. The Tigers initially faced a slow start, trailing 7 - 2, but managed to take the lead and maintain it for the final 27 minutes. Coach Dennis Gates employed an interesting rotation strategy, playing 12 players in the game, with 11 of them making at least one field goal and 8 making at least one three-pointer.

Gate's Rotation Philosophy Unveiled

After every Missouri game, one question persists: What's the deal with the rotations? On Friday night, Gates made his first substitutions just 2 minutes and 48 seconds into the game, bringing in Caleb Grill and Jacob Crews to replace Annor Boateng and Tamar Bates. Gates explained, "It's a defensive system we haven't seen in a while. Once we got subs in, like Grill and Marques Warrick, their shooting percentages changed the game."In the end, Missouri scored 57 bench points. Caleb Grill, who is essentially a starter, has been coming off the bench and averaging 24.3 points per game in the last three. Gates emphasized how his team's depth allows them to go full speed all the time, with fresh bodies always ready to enter. He held up the box score and said, "This fact sheet is like a black and white TV. There are so many analytics to look at. You should look at stats like rebounds per minute and shots per minute to give guys credit. Josh Gray is one of the best rebounders per minute in the country."He also made an executive decision on Friday. Aidan Shaw, one of the team's best players in adjusted plus-minus, didn't play. Gates said, "My decision is to protect my players. When we faced a certain scout and defense, I couldn't have all our key players in the game. But our depth will allow us to get through such situations."

Turnover Control in the First Half

Missouri had been taking good care of the ball in their first four games, averaging 11 turnovers. But against Pacific, they took it to another level. In the first half, they didn't have a single turnover and didn't give it away until a Trent Pierce turnover with 15:07 left in the game. By then, they had 14 assists. Gates was excited about the assistant turnover ratio, saying, "We had 14 straight assists without a turnover and ended up with just 6. That's the part of the game I'm really excited about."Currently, Missouri ranks 56th in the country for turnovers, turning the ball over on 14.5% of their possessions. Last year, they were 170th, and Gates' first team was 58th with a 15.8% turnover percentage.

Freshmen's Growth and Maturation

A season ago, Missouri brought in three freshmen. Jordan Butler transferred to South Carolina, but Anthony Robinson and Trent Pierce stuck around. Robinson played 30 games last year, averaging 13.4 minutes. He shot 36% from the field and 20% from three-point range, averaging 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and one assist per game while dealing with personal issues. This year, he's at 10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and is tied for the team lead in free throw attempts, averaging more than 20 minutes per game and starting in 3 of Mizzou's 5 contests.Pierce's improvement is even more remarkable. As a freshman, he played in 21 games but only 137 minutes due to a serious ear infection that required surgery. He averaged 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. This year, in his fourth appearance in five games, he has scored at least 8 points in 3 of them and hit double figures twice, including a career-high 13 in the season opener against Memphis and 10 against Pacific. He went to the free throw line 6 times on Friday, matching his season total from last year and making 5 of them.Gates said, "Those guys went through a lot last year. But their work and response after the season, in the summer, and this fall have been great. You see their maturation and confidence. Trent Pierce doesn't look like last year. Ant Robinson has increased his leadership and can do different things on the ball. It's just growth."

Youngsters' Opportunities on the Horizon

While watching this year's freshmen class, it's important to note that some are still finding their footing. Annor Boateng started but was off the floor quickly, playing 14 minutes and having as many turnovers as points (2 of which came on a dunk). Peyton Marshall was minus-9 in 11 minutes, and Trent Burns hasn't played in five games. T.O. Barrett made his first appearance of the season in the second half against Pacific and is battling an injury. Gates said, "He's one of our better defenders. You saw a glimpse of that when he blocked a shot. He makes those plays consistently in practice and is continuing to get better and learn our system. His time will come."As an older leader, Caleb Grill said, "Seeing the younger class mature and get opportunities is one of my favorite things. It excites me to see others who have been working hard get the same chance."Missouri currently ranks third in the country, getting 45.6% of their minutes from non-starters. And it seems this number isn't going to decrease as the team continues to thrive with its depth and rotation strategy.