Mizzou Basketball Heads to West Virginia for Big 12/SEC Challenge

Saturday, January 25

Morgantown, W.Va.

11 AM

University of Missouri

#15 West Virginia

Mizzou guard Mark Smith (13).Mizzou Tigers vs. Texas A&M in Columbia, Mo. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. Hunter Dyke/Mizzou Athletics

Mizzou Basketball Heads to West Virginia for Big 12/SEC Challenge

1/23/2020 5:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Tip off is set for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN

Mizzou Heads to West Virginia for Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
West Virginia	Morgantown, W. Va.	Saturday, Jan. 25	11 AM	ESPN	Stats

Mizzou Basketball Game Notes

Game Notes

STORYLINES

Mizzou travels to No. 14 West Virginia to face the Mountaineers in the 2020 Big 12/SEC Challenge. It will mark Mizzou's third overall appearance in the Big 12/SEC Challenge and its first since the 2014-15 campaign.
The Tigers are 1-1 all-time in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, with their lone win coming against West Virginia on December 5, 2013, when current Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson erupted for 25 points to lead Mizzou. In that game, Mizzou's defense held the Mountaineers to 27.6 percent shooting in the opening half. The Big 12 leads the challenge, 4-1-1, all-time. The SEC hasn't won since 2017-18 (6-4).
West Virgnia and Mizzou square off for the fifth time overall and the fourth time this decade with the series split at 2-2. Three of the previous four series meetings have been played at neutral sites, including a pair of NCAA Tournament clashes in 1992 and 2010, and the most recent matchup in the title game of the 2017 Advocare Invitational in Orlando. Mizzou senior Reed Nikko and junior Jeremiah Tilmon played in that game - an 83-79 Mountaineers win. Saturday's trip to Morgantown will be Mizzou's first in program history.
After Mizzou made an SEC and program 31 consecutive made free throws vs. Alabama last Saturday, the Tigers made 25-of-26 against Texas A&M on Tuesday. Mizzou is shooting an SEC-best 82 percent from the charity stripe in league play. The Tigers' season percentage of 77.4 percent leads the SEC, ranks 13th nationally and second among power conference teams behind only Villanova (79 percent).
Dru Smith posted 18 points, eight rebounds and a season-high eight assists vs. Texas A&M on Tuesday. It was just the third 18-8-8 performance at Mizzou since 1983 - with Tiger legend and former NBA standout Anthony Peeler being the only other player to accomplish the feat (twice). Dru leads the SEC in steals per game with 2.3 and ranks second in free throw percentage and eighth in assists. He has 4+ steals in five different games this season, the first Tiger to do so since Phil Pressey in 2012-13. He's accomplished that feat just 18 games into the 2019-20 campaign.
The Tigers are +96 in bench points in their last 10 games and +152 overall this season. Mizzou has outscored 14 of its 18 opponents in bench production this season.
Mizzou ranks second in the SEC and 27th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 61.6 points per game, which is on pace to rank third all-time in program history during a single season.

NCAA HISTORY AT THE FREE THROW LINE

Over the course of two games against Alabama and Texas A&M, Mizzou made 54 consecutive free throws, setting a new all-time NCAA record.
The incredible feat included a 31-of-31 effort at Alabama, the most free throws made without a miss in a single game in SEC history. It marked the fourth-best single-game team performance at the foul line in NCAA history and the best since Oklahoma hit 34-of-34 free throws vs. Iowa State on March 2, 2013.
The effort shattered Mizzou's previous single-game record for consecutive free throws made in a game of 23, which was done twice on both Feb. 1, 1997 vs. Kansas State, and March 11, 2005 vs. Oklahoma.
Within a single season, Mizzou's record was 26 consecutive made free throws during the 1997 campaign before the two-game stretch made NCAA history.
Eight different Tigers made free throws to contribute to the record led by Dru Smith, who is 18-of-18 over the two games, and has made 22 consecutive free throws since Jan. 11. Smith became the first Tiger to shoot 100 percent for a game, with a minimum 11 attempts, since Jordan Clarkson went 11-for-11 on March 19, 2014 vs. Vanderbilt.
Mizzou has missed one free throw over the last two games. The Tigers lead the SEC in free throw percentage at 77.5 percent. They are shooting 82 percent in league play (100-for-122). Mizzou's point guard tandem of Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson are 33-of-35 from the line in the last six games.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE

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 18 games into the 2019-20 season, Mizzou ranks fifth in turnover margin (+1.1) and fourth in steals per game (7.6). In conference play, Mizzou's valued the rock even more, boasting a +1.5 turnover margin, which ranks second in the league.
Mizzou is the SEC's leader during league play in steals per game with 7.5 thefts per contests. Mizzou has at least seven steals in eight of its last 10 games dating back to Dec. 7 at Temple. Mizzou has 10+ steals three times in the last eight games after tallying 11 vs. Florida. Before this stretch, Mizzou had just three games with 10+ steals in its previous 64 games.
In the last 10 games, Mizzou has won the turnover battle seven times.
Dru Smith leads the league in steals per game with 2.3 swipes per contest. Smith already has 41 thefts this season. The Tigers' steals leader in 2018-19 - Jordan Geist - finished 32 games with 34 total steals.
Since Dec. 7, Mizzou has forced 165 turnovers (17.1 per game). All 10 opponents during that span have coughed it up at least 12 times. Mizzou has forced 113 turnovers in the last seven games alone.

SHARPSHOOTER

Mark Smith is coming off a 19-point outburst vs. Texas A&M. He hit five triples en route to 19 points, the second time this season he's made at least five in a game. Mark has made multiple 3-pointers in seven consecutive games dating back to Dec. 30 vs. Chicago State. That is the longest streak of his career.
Mark has now made 47 triples this season through 18 games, two shy of his career-high in a campaign. It's the fourth-most 3-pointers among SEC players this season.
He shot a blistering 45 percent from 3-point range in 2018-19, the SEC's highest percentage (min. 100 attempts). This season, Mark is right back at it from beyond the arc, shooting 39.2 percent, which ranks fourth in the SEC. He also ranks fourth in the league in threes made per game with 2.6.
Mizzou is 6-3 when Smith reaches double figures this season.
Through 18 games, Mark averages 11.4 points per game after a career-high 23 points vs. Southern Illinois, 14 points against Florida, 15 at Alabama and 19 vs. Texas A&M. Since Jan. 11, he's putting up 14 points per game and averaging 3.3 made threes per outing.
Mark ripped off a then-season-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a dominant outing against Morehead State. He reached 21 points on just nine field goal attempts, the first Tiger to do so since Ryan Rosburg vs. Tennessee on Feb. 3, 2016, and just the sixth Tiger overall since 2010.
The Tigers are now 4-2 this season when he leads the team in scoring and 6-3 when he scores 19+ points since his arrival at Mizzou.
Mark has grabbed four rebounds in a game 31 times in 37 games in a Mizzou uniform. He has 20 more defensive rebounds than anyone else on the roster. His career-high in rebounds was three at Illinois. He's grabbed at least four boards in nine of the last 12 games.
Mark has 177 rebounds as a Tiger. Since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, only Jeremiah Tilmon, Jr., (230) has grabbed more rebounds on Mizzou's active roster, despite Mark only appearing in 37 games in that span.