On an icy and snowy night throughout Missouri, the Tigers didn’t come out cold. Missouri (9-6, 1-2) jumped out to an early nine point lead and never trailed in its 91-75 rout over the Florida Gators (10-5, 2-1).
The Tigers were led by Dru Smith, who finished with 22 points on 8-12 shooting, six assists and five steals. Missouri also got nice production from its bench in the win. Javon Pickett scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds and Xavier Pinson had eight points, including a monster jam in the first half.
Junior forward Jeremiah Tilmon missed his second consecutive game with a stress fracture but Tiger big men Mitchell Smith and Reed Nikko stepped up to the challenge. Smith was perfect from the field and Nikko had seven points and five rebounds.
The Tigers were also without Mario Mckinney in the win. Before the game, multiple news outlets reported that the freshman guard was suspended indefinitely.
In the win, Missouri faced similar issues from its previous games. Three Tiger starters had four fouls and the team totaled 26 on the night.
The Tigers head to Starkville and will face Mississippi State on Jan. 14.
_Edited by Wilson Moore | wmoore@themaneater.com_