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No one could have asked for a better start to Big 12 play than the Missouri Tigers got with their 87-49 thrashing of the Oklahoma Sooners.
Led by senior guard Kim English's 23 points (8-12 from the floor, 5-8 from 3-point land), the Tigers dominated from start to finish and regained the dominance they showed in games against California and Notre Dame.
The most important thing to come out of this game, though, was not his sharp shooting, but his rebounding ability. The ceiling for this Missouri team is indescribably high if English can keep up his scoring form along with crashing the boards against good rebounding teams like Oklahoma.
After a six-game stretch where he shot 44% from the floor and 37% from 3-point land, English is 58% from the floor and 66% from 3-point land in Missouri's last two games.
Like I said, the most important thing about Kimmie's game right now is his rebounding. English has averaged almost 8 rebounds per game in the last three games, slowly improving his season average to 4.7. With bigger and better teams upcoming on the schedule, the Tigers need as much help on the boards as they can with their four guard lineup. The pressure is on English to be that guy to step up, and he is doing so in recent times.
The Tigers will get back on the court against a good rebounding team in Kansas State on Saturday. If the Tigers want a good showing on the road in a tough environment, look to how Kim English is performing to see how the whole team will perform.