Missouri basketball: Kobe Brown leads freshman class for Tigers

COLUMBIA, MO - JANUARY 24: The Missouri Tigers mascot, Truman, joins arms with cheerleaders to sing the school anthem after the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Missouri Tigers at Mizzou Arena on January 24, 2015 in Columbia, Missouri. The Razorbacks defeated the Tigers with a final score of 61-60 to win the game.(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MO - JANUARY 24: The Missouri Tigers mascot, Truman, joins arms with cheerleaders to sing the school anthem after the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Missouri Tigers at Mizzou Arena on January 24, 2015 in Columbia, Missouri. The Razorbacks defeated the Tigers with a final score of 61-60 to win the game.(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Kobe Brown is improving nearly every game this season, and as bad as Tuesday’s game was for Missouri basketball, Brown led the team.

Missouri basketball guard Kobe Brown is having a great freshman year for the Tigers. He has started all 16 games so far this year, and it looks as if he is getting better every week.

Since the start of SEC play, Brown is averaging nearly 10 points a game, that’s more than three points better than his average for the season. Brown currently scores 6.3 points per game with three rebounds and 1.3 steals.

The 6-foot-7, 240-pound freshman can take the ball to the hoop, and when he makes up his mind that he’s going there, it’s hard for defenses to defend him. He is taking his game to the next level by adding defense to his repertoire.

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Nothing went right against Mississippi State. But Brown shot 50 percent, went 2 of 4 from the 3-point line and grabbed four rebounds with a total of 14 points in Tuesday’s loss. He was the team against the Bulldogs.

It has been a solid freshman campaign, but Brown is part of a class that hasn’t done too well this season.

Tray Jackson hasn’t seen the floor much and Mario McKinney Jr. decided to enter the transfer portal this week. It’s a good thing Brown is stepping up, just like Javon Pickett did for last year’s freshman class, where the now-sophomore started all 31 games he played in. They way things are looking, it appears Mizzou will have another freshman who will start every game in his first year.

One thing Brown can get better at is knocking down his 3-pointers. The Tigers are struggling as a team, and Brown is no exception, making only a quarter of his shots. That is an area he can improve.

Currently, Brown averages 18 minutes per game. It feels like in the second half of the season, he will get more playing time.

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