Mizzou Hoops Hits the Road to Face Mississippi State on Tuesday Night

Tuesday, January 14

Starkville, Miss.

8 PM

University of Missouri

Mississippi State

Mizzou head coach Cuonzo Martin, Mizzou guard Xavier Pinson (1). Mizzou Tigers vs. Florida Gators at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. Zach Bland/Mizzou Athletics

Mizzou Hoops Hits the Road to Face Mississippi State on Tuesday Night

1/13/2020 2:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Tip off is set for 8 p.m. on SEC Network

Mizzou Hits to the Road to Face Mississippi State on Tuesday
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
Mississippi State	Starkville, Miss.	Tuesday, Jan. 14	8 PM	SEC Network	Stats

Mizzou Basketball Game Notes

Game Notes

STORYLINES

Mizzou is coming off an impressive 91-75 win over Florida, its first victory over the Gators since Feb. 24, 2015. Mizzou's offense exploded for 91 points, its most in a league game since scoring 93 against Arkansas on March 5, 2013.
It marked just the sixth time the Gators have allowed 90+ points in a game since 2010, and the most they've allowed in regulation since Auburn scored 95 on Feb. 14, 2017.
Mizzou erupted for 51 first-half points, its most in a first half in league play since joining the SEC and the most overall since Nov. 13, 2017 (54 points).
The Tigers shot a torrid 61.5 percent (32-of-52) from the field and 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from 3-point range vs. Florida - both season-highs. It was Mizzou's best shooting performance from the field in a league game since March 1, 2014 vs. Mississippi State (62.3), and the best shooting performance from beyond the arc in a league game since Feb. 28, 2013 vs. South Carolina (66.7).
Only two opponents have shot above 61 percent against Florida since 2010, Mizzou and Ohio State, which shot 62.9 percent on Nov. 16, 2010, making Mizzou the only SEC team to accomplish that feat in the last 10 seasons. Florida also hadn't allowed a team to shoot above 63 percent from 3-point range since Kentucky on March 1, 2016, when the Wildcats made 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Mizzou ranks eighth nationally and leads the SEC in scoring defense, holding opponents to 58.9 points per game. Entering this season, just three Mizzou teams in program history have held opponents to fewer than 60 points per game during a campaign. The current 57.7 opponents points per game pace is the lowest since the 1951-52 team held opponents to 53.2 points per outing. The last time a Mizzou squad allowed fewer than 60 points per game was 1981-92 (59.7 opponent PPG).
Mizzou is allowing only 18.9 field goal makes per game, which ranks third nationally, trailing only Liberty and defending national champion Virginia. Florida's 20 made field goals matched its second-fewest in a game this season. Ten of Mizzou's 15 opponents have made 20 or fewer field goals.
Mizzou finished the 2018-19 campaign ranked 12th in the league in turnover margin (-1.9) and 13th in steals per game (4.7). With Dru Smith leading the charge 15 games into the 2019-20 season, Mizzou ranks fourth in both turnover margin (+1.6) and steals per game (7.7).
The Tigers are +94 in bench points in the last seven games and +150 overall this season. Mizzou has outscored 13 of its 15 opponents in bench production this season.

HEATING UP

Mizzou ripped the nets from beyond the arc against Florida, with seven different players hitting at least one triple. It marked just the third time since 2010 that Mizzou shot above 63 percent from 3-point range in a game and just the second time against an SEC opponent.
Over the last five games, Mizzou is shooting 44.9 percent from beyond the arc with six different Tigers shooting above 40 percent from three (min. 8 attempts). A large part of that success has been the trio of Smiths - Mark, Mitchell and Dru. The trio has made 20 combined triples in that span.
Mizzou has catapulted to fifth in the SEC in 3-point shooting at 32.4 percent for the season. The Tigers are the only SEC team ranking in the top five in the league in both 3-point field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage defense - third at .289.
Mizzou made 62 triples in its first 10 games and has made 48 in the last five games alone.

BIG GUARD U ATTACKING THE BOARDS

All of Mizzou's guards this season have branded the program as Big Guard U. Mizzou's roster boasts five guards who are all at least 6-3 and at least 200 pounds, headlined by Mark Smith, who deadlifted 495 pounds this summer during rehab. The group is relentless attacking the glass as Mizzou uses a group effort to get a rebounding advantage.
Mizzou allows just 31.9 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the SEC. The Tigers have allowed just 131 offensive rebounds this season, the second-fewest among SEC teams.
Mark Smith leads the Tigers with 4.8 rebounds per game, followed by Dru Smith (4.2) and Javon Pickett (4.1) - all three from the guard position. Six different players have led Mizzou in rebounding in a game this season.
In the last seven games, 59.2 percent of Mizzou's rebounds of have been secured by guards.
Mark Smith has corralled at least three boards in all 15 games this season.
The Tigers are 7-2 on the season when they outrebound their opponents. They've done so 53 times in 80 games during the Martin era.

PICKETT: THE CONSTRUCTION WORKER

Sophomore Javon Pickett is a do-it-all guard for head coach Cuonzo Martin. Pickett has started 37 of 43 games since coming to Mizzou. He logged 808 minutes as a freshman - joining Jontay Porter, Terrence Phillips and Johnathan Williams III as the only Tiger freshmen with 800+ minutes this decade.
Pickett is the key cog. He's reached double figures five times this season. Mizzou is 5-0 in those games, winning by an average margin of 17.8 points per game. In arguably Mizzou's three biggest wins - Illinois, Temple and Florida - Pickett is averaging 15.7 points and shooting 58.1 percent from the field.
Pickett has been coming off the bench over the last eight games and it's sparked his production. In the last seven outings, he's averaging 10.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game after starting the first seven contests.
He's scored at least seven points 27 times in 46 games at Mizzou, and has turned it up a notch recently as Mizzou's second-leading scorer the last seven games, averaging 10.6 points per game off the bench.
Pickett leads Mizzou in offensive rebounds this season. Of his 61 rebounds this season, 39.3 percent have come on the offensive glass.
Pickett posted 10 points and eight boards vs. Incarnate Word, the fourth true guard to reach those numbers under Martin at Mizzou alongside Kassius Robertson, Jordan Geist and Mark Smith. He most recently shot 6-of-8 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from 3-point range en route to 14 points vs. Florida.

DRUUU

Dru Smith is making his case for All-SEC recognition early on. The redshirt junior captained Mizzou's victory over Florida with 22 points, six assists and five steals - the second Tiger since 1980 to hit those marks in the same game, joining all-time great Anthony Peeler. He had 11 points and four steals at No. 17 Kentucky and is now the first Tiger to post 10+ points and 4+ steals in four different games in a single season since Mizzou joined the SEC, accomplishing that feat in just 15 games. The last Tiger to do so in three different games in a single season was current NBA standout Jordan Clarkson.
Dru has 14 steals over the last four games and is tied for first in the SEC with 2.3 steals per game this season. That current 2.3 steals per game clip is on pace to finish second in program history. He has 34 steals in 15 games. Mizzou's steals leader last year was Jordan Geist, who finished with 34 steals.
Dru reached the 19-point mark five times in two seasons at Evansville and has done so four times now at Mizzou after scoring 19 points against Illinois and 22 points vs. Florida. Dru exploded for 22 points, a career-high 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals at No. 21 Xavier. 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.
Dru leads Mizzou in scoring (12.0 PPG), assists (4.3) and steals (2.3), and is third in rebounding (4.2). He is one of only seven players nationally averaging at least those marks in each category this season. Thus far in league play, Dru ranks first in the league in steals per game (3.3), fourth in assists per game (4.0), fifth in field goal percentage (.517) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0).
He recently posted 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals vs. Chicago State, the first Tiger to hit all those mark in the same game since Phil Pressey in 2013. He is just the fifth Tiger to do so since 1980 (Pressey, Anthony Peeler, Brian Grawer and Jason Conley).
In his 65-game career, Dru has only gone one game without recording an assist, which came all the way back on Dec. 3, 2016, giving him 57 consecutive games with an assist. He's now posted 30 straight multi-assist outings. He's also collected a steal in 26 consecutive games dating back to Dec. 9, 2017. He's tallied at least two steals in nine of 15 games this season, including five of the eight contests.
He's now dished at least six assists in a game 14 times in his career. He is three assists shy of 250 career assists.