Mizzou Hoops Wraps Up Home Non-Conference Slate vs. Chicago State

Monday, December 30

Columbia, Mo.

7 PM

University of Missouri

Chicago State

Mizzou guard Dru Smith (12). Mizzou Tigers vs. Southern Illinois Salukis at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. Zach Bland/Mizzou Athletics

Mizzou Hoops Wraps Up Home Non-Conference Slate vs. Chicago State

12/29/2019 11:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Tigers host Chicago State on Monday night at 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena

Mizzou Basketball Finishes Home Nonconference Slate vs. Chicago State on Monday
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
Chicago State	Columbia, Mo.	Monday, Dec. 30	7:00 PM	SEC Network Plus	Stats

Mizzou Basketball Game Notes

Game Notes

STORYLINES

Mizzou is on a 3-game win streak, its longest since closing December with six consecutive victories last season. The Tigers' current 3-game streak includes a road win, home win and neutral court win - the first such streak since Mizzou did so Dec. 18-Dec. 30, 2011 (William & Mary, Illinois, Old Dominion).
Mizzou claimed Braggin' Rights for the second consecutive season for the first time since 2011 and 2012. Illinois mustered just 56 points against Mizzou's stingy defense, its fewest in a Braggin' Rights game since Dec. 23, 1991.
Illinois is the seventh team Mizzou has held to 56 or fewer points this season through 11 games. That matches the most opponents the Tigers have held to 56 or less in an entire season during this decade. If the Tigers hold Chicago State to 56 or less, it will be the most opponents held to that many in a campaign since 1998-99 (nine teams).
After Southern Illinois made just 10 field goals on Dec. 15 (the fewest by an opponent since Arkansas-Pine Bluff went 8-for-52 on Dec. 29, 2015), Illinois made a season-low 18 field goals on Dec. 21. Mizzou is allowing only 19.1 field goal makes per game, which ranks fourth nationally and second among power conference teams, trailing only defending national champion Virginia.
Illinois managed just two 3-pointers in the Braggin' Rights clash, the third Mizzou opponent to make three triples or less in a game. The Tigers are one of just 12 teams nationally to hold three different opponents to three or fewer treys in a game this season. During Mizzou's 3-game win streak, opponents are shooting 17.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Illinois entered the matchup with Mizzou leading the nation in rebounding margin at +14. The Tigers outpaced the Illini on the glass by four (36-32) and grabbed a season-high 12 offensive rebounds.
In the win over Illinois, Mizzou's bench outscored the Illini, 31-10, behind Javon Pickett's season-high 17 points and Xavier Pinson's 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting. The Tigers are +39 in bench points in the last three wins and +92 overall this season. Mizzou has outscored 10 of its 11 opponents in bench production this season.
Mizzou ranks 12th nationally, fifth among power conference teams and first among SEC teams in field goal percentage defense (.370). The Tigers also lead the SEC and are tied for 10th nationally in scoring defense (57.7) and 20th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.271). Mizzou ranks 21st nationally in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric, allowing 89.2 points per 100 possessions

LINEUP SWITCH PROVIDING SPARK

Following Mizzou's loss to Charleston Southern, head coach Cuonzo Martin switched up his starting lineup, bringing Javon Pickett off the bench while inserting 6-foot-10 redshirt junior Mitchell Smith. The move sparked a 3-game win streak with Mitchell averaging 27.3 minutes at the stretch-4 position.
It's ignited Javon Pickett, who is averaging 15.3 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor in the last three games coming off the bench. In seven previous starts this season, he averaged 4.7 points and shot just 40 percent from the field.
Pickett trails only Jeremiah Tilmon, Jr., in offensive rebounds on Mizzou's roster this season. Of his 48 rebounds this season, 43.8 percent have come on the offensive glass.
Pinson has also excelled since the Tigers bolstered their bench with guard depth and added size up front in the rotation, averaging 8.7 points and 2.6 assists while shooting 47.6 percent from the field during the 3-game win streak.
Pinson is averaging 8.4 points off the bench for the season through 11 games - the fourth-best on the team, while shooting 40.8 percent from the field and 76.3 percent from the free throw line. He boasts a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. Pinson scored seven points at Temple, including a pair of clutch buckets to ice the game in the final minutes, then lifted Mizzou with 14 points against Illinois, hitting a season-high two triples.
Pinson has scored at least seven points off the bench seven times in 11 games to begin his sophomore campaign. He reached the eight-point mark just 12 times as a freshman.

DRU LEADING THE CHARGE

Dru Smith reached the 19-point mark five times two seasons at Evansville and has done so three times now at Mizzou after scoring 19 points against Illinois to lead the Tigers to victory. All three of his 19+ point performances have come against the three highest KenPom ranked teams Mizzou has faced (19 vs. No. 7 Butler, 22 vs. Xavier and 19 vs. No. 47 Illinois). Dru exploded for 22 points, a career-high 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals at No. 21 Xavier, securing his first career double-double. He became the first Tiger to record at least 22 points, 10 boards, four dimes and three steals in a game since Doug Smith did so vs. Oklahoma in 1991.
He had 11 points, nine rebounds & five assists vs. Morehead State, the first Tiger to hit those marks in a game since Earnest Ross in 2014.
Dru has two games with at least seven assists this season through 11 outings. He's already become just the fifth Tiger since 2013-14 to have a pair of seven-assist games in the same season, joining Jordan Clarkson, Keith Shamburger, Terrence Phillips and Blake Harris.
Dru is averaging 11.5 points, and leading the team in assists (4.2), steals (1.8) and free throw makes (3.4).
In his 61-game career, Dru has only gone one game without recording an assist, which came all the way back on Dec. 3, 2016, giving him 53 consecutive games with an assist. He's now posted 26 straight multi-assist outings after dishing seven vs. Oklahoma, three at Temple and four vs. Illinois.
He's also collected a steal in 22 consecutive games dating back to Dec. 9, 2017. He's tallied at least two steals in six of 11 games this season, including three of the last five contests.
He is also a career 85.9 percent free throw shooter. He's made 80 of his last 89 attempts from the free throw line (89.9 percent). His 8-for-8 performance from the line at Xavier marked the best outing by a Tiger at the charity stripe since Kassius Robertson went 8-for-8 on Feb. 3, 2018, vs. No. 21 Kentucky.

THE BEST DEFENSE IN THE SEC

Mizzou is tied for 10th nationally and fifth among power conference teams in scoring defense, allowing just 57.7 points per game.
Mizzou is one of just eight teams nationally to hold at least seven opponents to 56 or fewer points in a game this season. The Tigers are 7-0 in those games. Mizzou is also one of 14 teams to hold nine opponents to 63 or fewer points.
Illinois managed just 56 points for the first time against a nonconference opponent since scoring that many vs. Clemson on March 23, 2014. It marked just the third time Illinois scored 56 or fewer points in any game since the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
Against Chicago State on Monday, the Tigers are looking to become the first Mizzou team to hold at least eight opponents to 56 or fewer points in the same season since 1998-99. They could accomplish that feat just 12 games into the season.
Mizzou is now 21-0 under Cuonzo Martin when holding its foe to 59 or fewer points, and has won 29 of its last 30 games overall when doing that.
With roughly a third of the season under its belt, Mizzou's defensive scoring average would rank third all-time in a single-season in program history. The last time the Tigers held opponents to fewer than 58 points per game was 1951-52 (53.2 opp. PPG).
Mizzou also ranks 12th nationally and first in the SEC in field goal percentage defense as opponents are shooting just 37.0 percent this season. The Tigers are one of just seven teams nationally ranking in the top 13 in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
The Tigers rank 20th nationally and second in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage defense (27.1).
After allowing just 10 made field goals vs. Southern Illinois, the fewest by a Mizzou opponent since 2015, the Tigers have allowed 19.1 made field goals per game, which ranks fourth nationally. Only Virginia (15.7), Liberty (17.9) and Sacramento State (18.1) have allowed fewer made shots per game this season.
A large part of that success is cleaning up the glass. Of the defensive rebounds available, Mizzou has prevented an opponent from grabbing an offensive rebound 75.9 percent of the time, allowing just 92 offensive boards all season. That defensive rebound percentage ranks second in the SEC behind Kentucky.
Mizzou has outrebounded its opponent eight times in 11 games this season. The Tigers have outpaced opponents on the glass 51 times in 76 games during the Cuonzo Martin era.