Mizzou basketball's search for consistency centers around solving turnover problems

Missouri men's basketball's 67-64 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday at Mizzou Arena featured a collapse that seemed strange on paper.

Missouri outshot Texas A&M from the floor by a healthy margin but lost the rebounding battle and committed more fouls.

Texas A&M, now 15-2 overall, made one less field goal than Missouri on 10 more shots. MU finished 25 of 53 (47%), while A&M shot 24 of 63 (38%).

The Tigers should have gotten more shots off, but what ultimately sunk them Saturday afternoon was turnovers. Forced and unforced alike, Missouri committed 11 of its 17 turnovers in the second half as it lost grip on a double-digit halftime lead.

More: Inconsistent Mizzou basketball falls to Texas A&M 67-64 after second-half collapse

Passes fell short, sailed or were otherwise easily intercepted. Dribbles went off players' feet and out of bounds. Coach Cuonzo Martin attributed the turnovers to a lack of focus.

"The last game, I thought pressure," Martin said. "This game, I would say more focus."

There are myriad reasons why Missouri is struggling this season, but turnovers are a recurring theme. Only twice this season have the Tigers not committed double-digit turnovers: wins over Utah and Paul Quinn College.

The Aggies scored 14 points off turnovers Saturday, a pivotal difference in the contest.

The Tigers' turnover rate, the percentage of possessions ending in a turnover, illustrates the concerns. Five Tigers who played more than 20 minutes recorded a turnover rate of at least 24. Texas A&M had one such player with a turnover rate over 20.

Nearly one-fourth of possessions, Missouri players were turning the ball over.

“It’s frustrating because it was definitely a winnable game,” guard Boogie Coleman said. “We took our foot off the gas.”

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Having a more consistent point-guard situation would "maybe" help the Tigers, Martin said.

It's not something Missouri can immediately fix; there isn't a way to dip into the transfer portal mid-season. There's something to be said for having natural point-guard skills, but there's also the matter of taking better care of the ball in general.

"You don't necessarily have to be a point guard to make good decisions," Martin said. "You just be a good decision-maker."

Being a good ball-handling team is about more than one position, he said.

"You might not be as efficient in executing everything you're trying to do as a point guard," Martin said. "But if you've had the ball enough, you can be a good ball-handler."

There are bright spots, such as how Amari Davis dished out five assists and how Coleman leads the team with 2.9 assists per game. However, forward Kobe Brown is second on the team with 2.3 assists per game, and all averages pale in comparison to how Dru Smith averaged 3.6 assists per game for the Tigers last season.

Anton Brookshire is a freshman with lots of potential who's earned starts this season, but there is only so much development that can happen in one season, unless Martin plays Brookshire for more significant time down the stretch.

There are flashes with these Tigers. The first half Saturday was a prime example. Martin said the struggles that followed are not due to a lack of practice but a lack of execution.

"It's just a matter of doing," Martin said. "Not necessarily a matter of hours you work."

Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 435-414-3261.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou basketball could improve by working on its turnover rate