Mizzou looks for higher execution at charity stripe heading into Auburn game

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

There's a reason basketball fans say, 'You can't win in March, if you can't hit your free throws.'

Those gimme buckets are a critical part of wins and losses and it came back to bite Mizzou men's basketball at the end of Saturday's game against Ole Miss. The Tigers went just 12-of-24 from the charity stripe in that loss to the Rebels, missing some key free throws down the stretch in a close game.

"It's one thing to get [to the line]. It's another thing to be able to knock down those free throws. That's a place where you have to be selfish, selfish for your team, selfish for yourself and you have to man up and execute," head coach Dennis Gates said during Tuesday's meeting with local media.

You can watch the full press conference with Gates in the video player below.

Mizzou has multiple players shooting at lower clips from the free thrown line than they did just one season ago. Through the 2024-25 campaign, guard Anthony Robison shot 77.1 percent from the line. But, the 2025-26 season, so far, he's shooting 66.1 percent.

It's a similar story for guard Jayden Stone. The Australia native had averaged about an 84 percent free throw percentage in his prior four seasons, but is now shooting at a 69.7 percent clip.

"I think it's the, the looming thoughts of we really have to make free throws, instead of just, you know, taking your time and making the shot," he said. "Even for myself, this is the worst I've ever shot free throws. But, I think I'm thinking about it too much. So, hopefully I can just settle myself and and knock them down and same with the rest of the guys."

You can watch the full press conference with Stone in the video player below.

Coach Gates and Stone both believe that the mental part of shooting free throws has been the biggest thing for this Tiger team, so far. As Gates pointed out, it's one thing to shoot them with no pressure at practice, but a whole other thing to execute in front of a Southeastern Conference crowd.

"The in-game variables are always different. You can't predict what they will be. Sometimes it's fatigue, sometimes it's the road, sometimes it's a knick knack or sometimes is lack of concentration. We can't afford to have it be lack of concentration. We got to go up and knock them down," Gates said. "I think you bring up the best point there is they're free throws. They're free. So take advantage of them."

What can you do to fix the mental part of shooting that that lonely line? That remains the question.

I'm not sure yet. If I had the solution, I'm sure my percentage be a lot better than what it is," Stone said when asked how he could fix the mental side of shooting free throws. "But, in all seriousness, it is so important because, as we found out with Ole Miss, just the lack of knocking down the free throws really hurt us. So, I think it's just simulating high pressure situations. Putting little things down, like, bets with managers or whatever. Just anything like, 'Hey, you have to make this or knock down five, you know, make five in a row, make five swishes,'. Things like that."

Mizzou will look for a higher level of execution on the gimme buckets, when the team hosts Auburn at Mizzou Arena on Wednesday night.

It's clear that Coach Gates and company have quite a bit of respect for what the other Tigers have done this season. In fact, they said you should look past head coach Steven Pearl and company's 10-6 record because they are one of the most talented teams they will have faced up until this point.

Auburn is coming off of a massive win, dominant win over No. 17 Arkansas at home, on Saturday, which is momentum MU will hope to bring to Columbia.

"Our hands are full. They got a great two point percentage, they have great points in the paint and also they have a tremendous ability to get to the free throw line and execute from their moments. They had three or four guy, you know, over 80 percent from that spot," Gates said. "They're great in transition. They also do a great job offensively rebounding the basketball. [On] they're second chance points, they're averaging 20. So, they they are a great team well-balanced, athletic, very good students of the game and you got a great staff over there."

Stone pointed out there will be other things that Mizzou will look to do a better job of against Auburn, other than just free throws. He felt that the pace of play wasn't where he and his teammates would have wanted it to be in the loss to Ole Miss in Oxford.

"So, transition points. I think a lot of times we look to probe, but it's kind of a slow probe where two guys on defense are able to really hawk in on the ball. You know, Mizzou, especially last two years, has prided itself on real quick play in-transition. But, kind of we're playing like an NBA team, I feel like sometimes, where to be quite space and you know, looking at Mark [Mitchell] or [Anthony Robinson] and waiting for them to do something. Instead of everybody going to drive in, kick, spray out, so we'll be looking to push the pace a lot more next game."

Stone believes that when the Tigers get into that drive and kick flow, that's where their offense shines the most.

"Obviously, like statistic wise, my best games have come now, but Florida was the most fun and electric I felt playing basketball in a long time and it was one of my least scoring games, I think, since I was a sophomore or a freshman," Stone said. "It was just the intensity of everyone...you know, there wasn't one lone star. It was just everyone kind of had about, you know, 10 to 12 points, which is the way that I love playing. That's the only reason why I fit here. You know, coming from Detroit, where majority of the points and flow is through you to them, you know, we're not going to shoot a mid-range, we going to get a dunk...we're going to get a wide open three...When everyone else, you know, kind of pitches in for the other guy. It's just really fun to be around and that's what's led to winning. So, I think if we can learn what everyone's roles are when we're playing really well, that's what you want to see."

Mizzou will tip off against Auburn 6 p.m. on Wednesday night on Norm Stewart Court.