The student section on Saturday featured a plethora of creative and funny signs. One had a much more serious message, simply stating: “D’Moi Hodge for DPOY.”
Hodge may be well-known for his shooting prowess on the court, but he has become the strongest individual defender on this Missouri team since the start of the season. He’s made a late claim to SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors, recording 32 steals in his past nine games, all while guarding the opposing team’s best player and still producing on the offensive end.
“I said at our press conference early on: for us to be successful, we have to have somebody on the all-defensive team, if not the defensive player of the year,” Gates said.