Mizzou Tigers: Studs and Duds vs Mississippi State
Duds vs Mississippi State
Dud #1: Dru Smith
I think everyone can agree that Dru Smith played his worst game in a Tiger uniform against the Bulldogs and everyone can agree it’s doubtful we see that Dru Smith again any time soon.
The Evansville transfer has arguably been the Tigers best player this season. But Tuesday night was bad.
After dropping in 22 points against Florida, Smith scored two against Mississippi State. He was 1-of-5 from the field and turned the ball over four times.
Defensively, he had three steals, but in order for Mizzou to be good, Dru Smith has to bee good. It didn’t happen last night, but look for bounce-back game this weekend.
Dud #2: Xavier Pinson
22 minutes. Zero points. Zero rebounds. Three assists. One steal, Two turnovers.
If Missouri ever has any chance of winning when Dru Smith is off, it would be because Pinson picked up the weight; 72-45 is the result when both of them are off.
Pinson wasn’t alone in the fact that he couldn’t get going really on either side of the ball. The Bulldogs were making just about every shot they took while also playing suffocating defense.
Pinson is still a sophomore who is learning and growing, and he should learn a lot from that game. He has to be better.
Dud #3: Mitchell Smith
Just when he seemed to really find his groove against the Gators, Mitchell Smith laid an egg against the Bulldogs. He shot 1-of-7 from the field and 0-of-5 from 3. Once Missouri got down, he started chucking and connected on nothing.
Mitchell Smith still plays hard and has great fundamentals, but he is still learning his role within the offense. He tried to make something happen when Missouri couldn’t score, but he isn’t going to be that guy to bring them out of an offensive slump.
On the other side, he was a part of the few that experienced the Reggie Perry show. He effortlessly dropped 23 points and 10 rebounds. It felt like the Nick Richards show from a few games ago.
Missouri hasn’t won a road conference game yet, but they’ll look to change that against the Crimson Tide on Saturday.