COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri basketball team learned a painful lesson Saturday. As dazzling as Xavier Pinson and Dru Smith have been for the Tigers lately — and the prolific backcourt put on another scoring show Saturday — they can’t do it alone. Especially not against a quality opponent. And until its NCAA Tournament bubble bursts, Mississippi State counts as one of the Southeastern Conference’s better teams.
Pinson and Smith continued to carry the Tigers on Saturday, but not long enough for a victory.
On a day Mizzou did a lot of things well, Mississippi State dealt the Tigers a 67-63 defeat at Mizzou Arena, outlasting Cuonzo Martin’s potent tandem with a more balanced attack.