The Missouri Tigers made their rematch with Mississippi State a lot closer than their first meeting, but they endured the same outcome nonetheless. The Bulldogs topped Mizzou 67-63.
Even when the Tigers did their best to contain the monster called Reggie Perry, everyone else on Mississippi State stepped up and made shots down the stretch.
The Bulldogs made 53% of their shots and blocked six shots as a team. After building an early lead in the first half, Mississippi State held off all comeback attempts to clinch consecutive seasons with 10+ conference wins.
However, this article is going to focus on what went right, and what didn’t, for Mizzou.
Studs vs Mississippi State
Stud #1: Dru Smith
Smith was by far the best player on the floor yesterday. The lead guard scored 19 points and added nine rebounds on 7/16 shooting (3/7 from three).
Smith also snatched three steals while finishing the game with zero turnovers.
The junior guard kept the Tigers in the game, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to 14-15 on the season.
Stud #2: Mitchell Smith
Mitchell Smith scored 10 points on an efficient 4/5 shooting for Mizzou. He played hard, which led to him fouling out, but his energy fueled many Tiger runs to make the game close.
Despite his stat line, Mitchell Smith continues to impact games for Missouri.
Stud #3: Xavier Pinson
Xavier Pinson wasn’t very efficient (7/21 overall, 3/10 from deep), but his 20 points were crucial for the Tigers.
He added five rebounds and two assists in what was a sloppy offensive game for Mizzou. Pinson started hot but started chucking and missing down the stretch.
The Tigers’ inability to make shots ultimately cost them the game (36% as a team).
Duds vs Mississippi State
Dud #1: Javon Pickett
Having more turnovers than points is never good. But that is what happened yesterday when Javon Pickett had zero points and two turnovers in 26 minutes.
He was 0/3 from the field and only registered two rebounds and one assist. Missouri has a great record when he scores in the double digits, but they didn’t even need that much from Pickett, who failed to score at all.
Dud #2: Kobe Brown
Kobe Brown only scored one point while shooting 0/5 from the field and 0/4 from three. He did grab seven rebounds, but his offense was non-existent yesterday.
He continues to be cold after his career game at Arkansas. Hopefully he can replicate that performance in the final games of the season.
Dud #3: Mark Smith
Mark Smith has played in two games since returning from injury, but his shot hasn’t returned with him. He was 0/2 against MSU and his confidence seems shaken.
Missouri will need more from him, and hopefully he can use these final two games to regain some confidence.