Mizzou Basketball: Studs and Duds @ LSU
Missouri played one of the best offensive games they had all season against LSU, which resulted in them leading the game for over 32 minutes. However, Mizzou fell apart late and lost to LSU 82-78.
Last night, Mizzou basketball fans were reminded of how young and inexperienced the team is. Despite leading for 75 percent of the game, Missouri collapsed and dropped their eighth SEC game this season and 13th overall.
The team shot over 50% from the field and over 40% from three, but shot only 54% from the free throw line. Missouri had 25 fouls called on them to LSU’s 15, and Mizzou only shot 13 free throws which pales in comparison to LSU’s 34.
It was great to see the offense look the best it has through all of SEC play, especially on the road against a ranked team, but once again the Tigers couldn’t hang on.
Studs @ LSU
Stud #1: Dru Smith
His offense had been looking a little shaky, but in a hostile road environment Dru Smith dropped 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He added five rebounds, four assists, and three steals while shooting 50% from distance.
He continues to fight through what seems to be an ankle injury of some sort, and his offense helped spark the entire team. It would’ve been nice to see him take some more shots down the stretch, but overall Smith played a very good game.
Stud #2: Reed Nikko
Reed Nikko continued to play well against LSU. The senior big man totaled 13 points and eight rebounds with one blocked shot. He did foul out but some of those calls were controversial at best.
Filling in for Jeremiah Tilmon is no small task, but Nikko has started to shine lately. He is scoring well and rebounding more. He is playing with more aggression on both ends, and he should play a nice role if Tilmon returns, and he’ll be fine if Tilmon does not.
Stud #3: Tray Jackson
Tray Jackson becomes more confident with every game. Against LSU he knocked down two threes and was more aggressive driving to the basket. He is becoming more tenacious on defense and and he is playing harder.
He scored nine points against LSU on 3-of-4 shooting. Better rebounding and free throw shooting are still to be desired along with overall consistency. He is a freshman though, and he id developing nicely for the team.
Duds @ LSU
Dud #1: Xavier Pinson
After a career high 24-point outing against Arkansas, Xavier Pinson scored just nine points on 4-of-11 shooting (0-of-5 from three). He did have seven assists and six rebounds, but the Tigers went to him for offense down the stretch, and he didn’t deliver.
While expectations may have been higher because of his previous games, Pinson left more to be desired. His deep ball had looked better recently, but it was absent at LSU
Dud #2: Kobe Brown
Kobe Brown’s minutes continue to drop and it may not be long before he is removed from the starting lineup. With a lack of depth down low, Missouri could use better play from Brown.
The freshman forward seems too content with shooting threes when he could benefit from scoring chances down low.
Dud #3: Torrence Watson
These last two guys keep appearing on this list but they have had better days. Watson was a great shooter last year, but this year he isn’t bringing much to the team.
His shot isn’t going in, and he is becoming less confident. His defense isn’t enough to keep him on the court. His minutes will be interesting to see when Mark Smith returns.