And-One: Bench lifts Mizzou to Braggin' Rights win

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Javon Pickett took the floor as part of Missouri’s starting five in 37 of his first 38 collegiate games. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago, when Pickett approached Cuonzo Martin and told him he didn’t feel like himself, that Martin tried bringing Pickett off the bench.

Perhaps he should have started sooner.

Pickett continually found himself in the right place at the right time in Missouri’s win against Illinois, where he originally committed as a high school prospect. He chipped in 17 points, six rebounds, a block and a steal. It marks the third game in a row in which he’s scored at least 13 points and brings his scoring average in contests in which he has not started this season to 13.8 points per game. When he has taken the floor for the opening tip, he’s averaged 4.7.

“Just making sure that I bring the energy when I come into the game,” Pickett said of his newfound role. “... Not really worried about coming off the bench or starting, just making sure that I execute the plays, do the little things that I have to do to help the team win.”

On a day in which Missouri’s headliners, center Jeremiah Tilmon and guard Mark Smith, combined for just four points, Pickett was the catalyst for a clutch performance by Missouri’s reserves. Missouri’s bench outscored Illinois’ 31-10.

“I feel like it started with Javon and his energy,” said Xavier Pinson, who also provided a lift as a reserve. “When coach calls your name, you gotta be ready, no matter what the situation is. So I feel like we all just came in ready to play.”

Pinson joined Pickett to combine for all of Missouri’s bench scoring with 14 points of his own. He hit two timely three-pointers after struggling for much of the season with his shot. Martin said he trusts Pinson and Pickett as if they were starters even though they haven’t been in the starting lineup of late.

“Two things I like about our bench is Javon and X, two guys who in my opinion are starters, when they come off the bench, it flows when they’re on the court,” Martin said. “They don’t skip a beat.”

Even though he didn’t score, Martin also mentioned Reed Nikko as another important bench contributor. Nikko played 16 minutes due to Tilmon’s foul trouble and often guarded Illinois star Kofi Cockburn when he was on the floor.

“Reed’s numbers won’t show, but Reed does a great job with his defensive positioning, understanding angles, even the movement of offense,” Martin said.

Typically this season, when Dru Smith scores a lot of points, it hasn’t meant good things for Missouri. The pass-first junior point guard has shown an ability to carry the offense if needed, but both times he’s done so — when he scored 22 points against Xavier and 19 against Butler — the rest of the lineup has struggled and Missouri has lost.

Against Illinois, Dru Smith once again stepped in when the rest of the team needed a lift, and the Tigers benefited. He led the team with 19 points. He finished the first half on a personal 8-2 run to give Missouri a three-point lead at the break, then he scored seven of Missouri’s final 11 points of the game. He was especially productive at the free-throw line, where he made nine of 10 attempts.

Dru Smith also contributed in other ways than scoring, as usual. He finished the game with five rebounds, four assists and a steal and served as a steadying presence in a highly emotional atmosphere. Pickett said the team wasn’t surprised to get that type of performance from their point guard.

“That’s a person that you like to have on your team,” he said. “He can do a lot of different things for us, like rebounding, getting assists, on the defensive end, he can score the ball. … That’s the type of player that we see every day in practice, so we just know and we believe in him, and he just went out there and did what he does.”

Aside from a highlight-reel, one-handed putback dunk, Saturday wasn’t a banner day for Tilmon. The junior center scored four points and grabbed one rebound before fouling out in 17 minutes. In addition to his foul trouble, he was also noticeably hobbled, favoring his left leg, especially in the second half. Martin said it wasn’t a guarantee Tilmon would play in the game due to an injury to his left foot, but he opted to give it a go.

“Jeremiah was questionable coming in as far as playing, but he wanted to play, of course, because of the magnitude of the game,” Martin said. “He didn’t want to let his teammates down.”

Tilmon also appeared to hurt his right wrist when he took a hard fall in the second half, but Martin didn’t express concern about his future availability. Missouri plays just once in the next two weeks.

“He’ll be fine,” Martin said.

CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM: Entering Saturday, no one would have predicted that Missouri could withstand getting a combined four points from Mark Smith and Tilmon and beat the Illini. But, as stated above, the Tigers got clutch contributions from the likes of Pickett, Pinson and Mitchell Smith and found a way to win anyway. Martin has repeatedly said the Tigers can beat anyone on their schedule when they embrace defense, rebounding and toughness, and Saturday’s win should serve as proof to the roster.

CAUSE FOR CONCERN: Missouri fans likely experienced terror-inducing flashbacks when Illinois switched to a full-court press in the final five minutes and forced several Tiger turnovers. The Illini couldn’t complete the comeback, but had they not missed an open layup and a few quality looks from three-point range, it could well have been a different result. In year three, Martin’s Missouri teams have yet to show any proof they can handle a full-court press.

STOCK UP: Mitchell Smith. The least celebrated of the three Smiths in Missouri’s starting lineup may have quietly been the Tigers’ MVP Saturday. Mitchell Smith played a team-high 35 minutes. He only scored four points, but he grabbed six rebounds and held his own when asked to defend Cockburn. Martin said Mitchell Smith’s recent production is a result of increased confidence, and he believes Mitchell Smith can be even better on the offensive end than he’s shown this season.

STOCK DOWN: Mark Smith. A game after he drained seven three-pointers and scored 27 points, Mark Smith was a non-factor on the offensive end. He missed each of his four shot attempts and both of his free-throws. Due to the emotions of facing his old team and the fact that Missouri still won, he deserves a pass for the performance, but the Tigers aren’t likely to beat many teams in SEC play if he doesn’t score.

UP NEXT: Missouri (7-4) gets more than a week off before returning to action against lowly Chicago State (4-9) on Dec. 30. The home matchup is set to tip off at 7 p.m.