Mizzou Basketball: Studs and Duds vs Kentucky

Duds vs. Kentucky

Dud #1: Mark Smith

Being a defensive team, Missouri had no shot at outscoring Kentucky without getting Mark Smith going. However, he was scoreless for most of the game.

For most of the season, he has not been scared to pull any 3-pointer, no matter how deep and how contested. Yet, for the first time recently, he looked scared. Smith was hesitant to pull pretty much anything and lacked all aggression.

The Tigers leading scorer finished the game with seven points on 2-of-8 shooting (2-of-7 from three), but most of that came once the game was out of reach.

Dud #2: Jeremiah Tilmon

If you thought Jeremiah Tilmon was finally overcoming his fouling issues, think again. Missouri needed Tilmon if they wanted any chance to slow down Nick Richards. But over and over, Tilmon would get tangled up with the Wildcat big man and get called for bone-headed fouls.

Richards finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds partly because he saw a lot more of Reed Nikko while Tilmon watched from the bench.

The junior center has to realize Missouri is a completely different team when he’s playing, and he has to cut out the silly fouls.

Dud #3: Javon Pickett

Since going to the bench, Pickett had been very good for Missouri. He had been averaging 13 points on 48 percent shooting during their four game win-streak, but his emotions overcame him in Rupp Arena.

Pickett was hesitant to shoot any 3s and instead settled for tough, contested layups or awkward pull-up middies. His biggest mistake came in the form of a technical foul that let Kentucky really put the game away.

Pickett’s defense makes him valuable for Mizzou, but his temper got the best of him this time out. Expect to see him on the Studs list in the near future.