Cuonzo Martin prepared everything perfectly for Mark Smith.
Smith was exuding confidence. He sat patiently behind the 3-point line while his team inbound the ball. He was several feet from a screen that gave him enough space to pull the trigger. As soon as Smith caught the ball, he got the go-ahead. It was all liquid.
It was one of three points in seven attempts on Tuesday night for Smith, who scored 18 points in Missouri’s 81-70 victory over South Carolina at Mizzou Arena. The lack of hesitation with which he fired from a distance was reminiscent of the remarkable stretch he had during the non-conference game.
“As soon as the ball was coming, he was ready to kick,” said Martin.
Smith led the Tigers (9-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) in scoring in three of their first four games, but saw a drop just five games after Illinois discovered him. After averaging 17.3 points in the Tigers’ first four games, Smith scored double digits only once in the next six, in an 11-point game in Arkansas that he paired with eight turnovers.
Smith had a stretch unlike any of the Missouri beginners throughout the season. His abrupt change in performance was instrumental in the Tigers’ two losses at the SEC. He entered on Tuesday throwing 33% of the ground in a conference game, but managed to return to form against the Gamecocks (3-4, 1-2).
He was no longer playing, giving hard shots prematurely while under pressure from a race from the opposing team. Instead, he allowed the game to come to him.
His performance woke the Tigers, who led by up to 18 points and never lost. While Smith was hitchhiking to Missouri from the perimeter, Jeremiah Tilmon started working on the countryside, continuing his streak with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
These statistics are becoming standard for Tilmon, who entered the game with an average of 16 points and 7.8 rebounds in a conference game. But Smith’s return to good form was a new wrinkle for Missouri, which is 6-0 when he scores double digits.
“I worked a lot with my shot, so I knew that eventually they would start to fall,” said Smith. “I just didn’t know what game it would be.”
Even Smith’s mistakes were good signs. A 3-point Tyler Herro-style move coming right after a pass on the pitch was a sign of his confidence, even after a prolonged fall.
“If you do this in practice, you will have the green light to do this in the game,” said Martin of the attempted kick.
The Tigers were able to hide Smith’s recent poor performances through Tilmon’s dominance. But South Carolina is neither Tennessee nor Alabama, and Smith will need to channel similar energy when the Tigers travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a Saturday rematch with the Volunteers.
Smith was limited to two shooting attempts when Missouri hosted Tennessee on December 30. He’s at his best when he gets into the rhythm and can find his places early, and his performance on Tuesday night showed what Missouri is capable of when it gets hot.
“You can’t leave Mark (Smith) open,” said Tilmon. “Especially when it is hot. This opens the ground for us a lot, because if he is kicking, and I’m doubling up, it’s easy to just kick out. … If you have your hand on his face and he is already hot, the lights go out. “