Mizzou basketball shows off its impressive depth at Wichita, boosts early-season resume
The Missouri Tigers had two of their best players put up uncharacteristic off-nights Sunday — and it didn’t matter much in the end result.
In what’s becoming a common theme of Mizzou’s hot start to the season, the Tigers delved further into their roster, pulling out the formula for another victory.
While much of the early-season attention has gone to MU’s fresh, fast-paced offense, the Mizzou defense stifled Wichita State in a 72-62 win Sunday at Charles Koch Arena. The shorthanded Shockers played well for short spurts, but the Tigers overwhelmed them as they improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
The victory was clawed together by the Tigers’ endless depth of quality players who shined once again. Guard Xavier Pinson, who was averaging 19.5 points per game, scored just three on 1-for-13 shooting. Forward Jeremiah Tilmon was hampered by foul trouble for the first time this season, logging 18 minutes.
But no matter. The Tigers simply needed to pick who would lead them in scoring Sunday.
MU guard Mark Smith took on that responsibility, scoring 19 points in a surprising way by attacking the basket. Fellow starting guard Dru Smith shined in doing a little bit of everything: 14 points, four assists and three rebounds. Mizzou forward Kobe Brown also added a season-high 14 points while grabbing seven rebounds.
“I just feel like we have a lot of good guards this year,” Mark Smith said after the game. “I just feel like we don’t really look at whoever’s turn it is. I just think we play so well together. We’re an unselfish team. We just play basketball and guys know their roles and I feel like we’re doing that perfectly.”
It wasn’t just that the ball went through the hoop. The Tigers featured an attack predicated on getting to the basket — no guarantee last year.
Mark Smith showed off some of what Pinson called “underrated handles” as Smith got to the basket often. The sharpshooter’s game was limited in past seasons as a spot-up shooter. There were moments when he showed a willingness to drive, but Sunday was a renewed effort on his part: Smith’s 19 points were accompanied by only two made threes.
The ever-reliable Dru Smith — the best “two-play” player in the SEC, according to Martin — was the picture of efficiency. He was 5 for 7 from the field, but more importantly, 2 for 2 on three-pointers. Dru Smith said he knows he was a better shooter than what he showed last season (29.4% on threes), and he’s demonstrated an ability to knock it down so far this year.
Perhaps where Martin can keep a feature in his mind was Brown’s willingness to attack. Martin said he doesn’t think Brown played a perfect game Sunday (he fouled out in 17 minutes), but similar to Mark Smith, Brown lived near the basket.
There were times as a freshman last year when Brown settled for jump shots despite his efficient numbers when he shot near the basket. Brown said his shot felt off Sunday so he wasn’t planning to shoot much anyway. But a 6-for-6 performance from the free-throw line stood as proof that he was attacking the paint.
“I feel like we’re deep as a team,” Brown said. “We have a lot of talent where there’s the starters or the sixth man or the bench in general. Everyone can play. It’s not really where we’ll make a sub and go down at all. I feel like everyone can hold their weight.”
The offense wasn’t always perfect — especially early. The Tigers were sloppy, turning it over after a nearly flawless performance against Oregon. But MU coach Cuonzo Martin’s players settled down — they had just four second half turnovers.
The Shockers were shorthanded because of COVID-19, suiting up only eight scholarship players, and had an inefficient night against a relentless MU defense. WSU shot just 33% (22 for 66) from the field.
Martin was quick to point out MU’s increasingly impressive resume: a home win (vs. Oral Roberts), a win over a ranked team (No. 21 Oregon) and a true road win (at Wichita State).
The Tigers now enter an interesting week. They host Liberty, which is 2-0 against SEC teams this season, and then it’s a tough Braggin’ Rights game against No. 5 Illinois.
“I’ve always been a man (where) you don’t take wins for granted,” Martin said. “I take 3-0 as opposed to 0-3 any day of the week. How many teams in America have a Top 25 win and also a true road win? How many teams in American can say that?”
This story was originally published December 6, 2020 at 5:25 PM.