Mizzou Basketball: Studs and Duds vs Florida

Mizzou basketball has been a top-notch defensive team all season while their offense has struggled to muster many points. However, the Tigers had an offensive explosion against Florida to earn their first conference win of the year.

The hardest part of the first few segments of this series was finding three players for Mizzou basketball that deserved to be “Studs.” After the Florida game, it’s going to be hard to pick three players that were “duds.”

The Tigers connected on 12-of-19 3-point attempts en route to a 91-point outing. Their 51 first half points earned them a new season high, and Mizzou captured their first SEC win of 2020.

Studs

Stud #1: Dru Smith

When Dru Smith is aggressive on offense, Missouri is a very good team. He dropped in 22 points and six assists on 8-of-12 shooting. He was aggressive and looked to score, which helped Mizzou’s offense tremendously.

But don’t let his offensive outburst distract you from the fact that he nabbed five steals while holding Florida star guard Andrew Nembhard to just 8 points on 2-of-6 shooting with four turnovers.

When Dru Smith is good, this team is so much fun to watch. Keep up the aggression Mr. Smith.

Stud #2: Javon Pickett

He’s back! Javon Pickett had been cold over the last few games but he found his stroke against the Gators. He added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting with solid defense.

The biggest difference though? No hesitation.

Pickett had become hesitant with his jump shots. At times he passed up good looks and did too much. Against Florida, however, he didn’t hesitate and he hit his shots.

Pickett’s offense off of the bench is crucial for Missouri, so this performance is great moving forward for the Tigers.

Stud #3: Mark Smith

Similarly to Pickett, Mark Smith had become a little more hesitant in SEC play. That all went out of the window while Smith knocked down three deep balls en route to 14 points for the Tigers.

He opened the game with an early 3 that set the tone for the game. Starting quick has been a problem for Mizzou, but Mark Smith’s jump shot could be a cure for that. Missouri should continue to look for him early and often as SEC play continues.

Smith also seems to be buying in to the defensive end as well. He was a huge plus for Missouri last night and he needs to remain fearless.