Missouri State basketball showed what it can be in win over ORU. Will it continue, though?

Oral Roberts might not be the NCAA Tournament team that it has been in recent years but those who showed up to watch Missouri State cruise in its 84-69 home opener saw a glimpse of the talented team the Bears are capable of being on a nightly basis.

The question now is how consistent the Bears can be.

A week removed from its loss at West Virginia, the Bears bounced back and put on a wire-to-wire performance that the talented roster is capable of having.

Even when missing top-scoring threat Chance Moore for the majority of the game, it was undeniable that the Bears were solid on both ends of the floor.

To make matters better, Moore's left ankle injury isn't considered serious and he could be in the lineup when the Bears take the floor in the Virgin Islands this weekend for the team's three-day Paradise Jam trip. Donovan Clay exited the game late with cramps and will be good to go.

"I'm extremely pleased," Bears head coach Dana Ford said. "I felt like we played with a total team effort. We executed offensively, we executed defensively... I was very pleased for most of the game."

More: Missouri State basketball overwhelms Oral Roberts while escaping without serious injury

Alston Mason showed he can be an All-Valley guard

The highlight of the night was the performance of junior guard Alston Mason who scored a game-high 28 points on 10 of 15 shooting while making 5 of 7 shots from deep. He even added a career-high nine rebounds.

Ford said he expects Mason to be a player who averages around 20 points per game even with Moore in the lineup. Adjustments made from the WVU loss to Monday night saw Mason with the ball in his hands near the end of shot clocks instead of early.

More: All of our 2023-24 Missouri State, high school basketball preseason coverage in one place

The return of starting point guard Matthew Lee has also allowed Mason to not be the team's primary ball-handler, giving him fresher legs and the ability to play more of his natural position.

"Good things happen when he gets the ball," Ford said. "He doesn't need to be the primary handler because it makes him tired. Right now, he's just focused on scoring."

Matthew Lee is making a difference

Lee's influence isn't only impacting Mason's game but it's making a more up-tempo offense click. Lee didn't fill the stat sheet up as he had nine points on just 1 of 7 shooting but that's not what he's going to be asked to do.

Lee's nine assists while commanding an offense that only turned the ball over 11 times is what the Bears wanted to see. There is room for improvement as he acclimates himself back into the game after tearing his ACL a year ago.

More: After ACL tear, Matthew Lee hopes to lead Missouri State to his second Cinderella run

"This team's off to a good start in regards to their chemistry and a lot of that has to do with Matt Lee," Ford said. "You have a guy who's going to get eight, nine or 10 assists a game and that's gonna help. We can really create for one another with really good decision-makers and good passers."

N.J. Benson might have had his best game in a Bears uniform

Missouri State also had more of a presence down low than it did after it got bullied around in the second half in its loss to West Virginia. The Bears need solid play out of N.J. Benson and Cesare Edwards if they're going to accomplish what they want to this season.

Benson's growth was evident on Monday from one game to the next despite dropping weight over the offseason and becoming more agile. He had 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting with a pair of boards while tying for a team-lead two blocks.

"It's just been patience," Benson said. "It's working with Coach Ford and Cesare and with our bigs on being able to finish around the run and screen and roll is always open. I know Alston, Matthew and Donnie are going to get us involved."

More: Will Missouri State finally have its breakthrough? Biggest questions before 2023-24 season

"I thought he had a nice game tonight," Ford added. "He still has room to grow. Coming back from West Virginia, I probably sent him a message in practice and I think he heard it loud and clear. I think his approach tonight was great. He still has to get stronger on the rim and more physical on the glass but he's going to get better all year. He has the capabilities to be a pretty dominant guy down there."

Missouri State heads to the beach

The Bears will now take whatever bit of momentum they have to the beach when they play in the Paradise Jam starting Friday with a matchup against Florida Gulf Coast (1-2). A second game will be played either Saturday or Sunday against either Kent State or Hampton.

The other side of the bracket features Norfolk State, Fordham, Abilene Christian and San Jose State.

More: A look at Missouri State men's basketball's non-conference schedule heading into 2023-24

Missouri State lost its first two games when it visited The Bahamas a year ago.

"We're looking at it as a business trip," junior guard Raphe Ayres said. "I think we learned from our trip last year to The Bahamas that you need to have a focused mindset into the games when you're in nice places like that. I'm not worried about it at all. Our group is a lot more mature than it was last year and you'll see the same version of us as you did tonight."

Can Missouri State be consistent?

Seeing the same version of the Bears as they were against Oral Roberts from one game to the next will define the season. A team that moved the ball and shot well offensively along with a great defensive attack is in the team's arsenal but we've seen over the years that it doesn't always bring it from one game to the next.

Ford might have said he doesn't want to be asked about the inconsistent 2022-23 season but the majority of the roster and coaching staff is the same. There were things about the Bears' performance at West Virginia that looked like things hadn't changed but Monday's showing gave reasons to hope.

We'll see which Bears team decides to show up on a nightly basis starting later this week.

"Guys are becoming more consistent," Ayres said. "Even more than the rotation, players are developing and you can see the chemistry. You saw the chemistry tonight and you'll continue to see it game in and game out."

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State was dominant vs. ORU. Can it be consistent?