COLUMBIA, Mo. — As Missouri’s two best ball-handlers, Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson spent every day of preseason workouts matched against each other.
“Iron sharpens iron,” forward Mitchell Smith said after a summer practice. “They’re going at it every day.”
Lately, as the Tigers navigate around their latest bout with injuries, the two natural point guards are sharing space in the same backcourt. Coincidence or not, the Tigers have shown glimpses of their best basketball of the season.
With Mark Smith sidelined by a lower back injury since halftime of Mizzou’s Jan. 28 win over Georgia, Torrence Watson buried in a season-long shooting slump and freshman Mario McKinney off to a junior college, Cuonzo Martin isn’t left with many options on the perimeter.