The return of Mark Smith from an ankle injury was expected to elevate the Tigers’ abilities beyond the arc and on defense. But his first game action in over three weeks brought with it the return of two more old Missouri acquaintances: turnovers and Jeremiah Tilmon foul trouble.
To be fair, the Tigers (12-12, 3-9 SEC) somehow managed to make a game of this. A 27-15 run in the middle of the second half allowed Missouri to sneak back into the picture. But the Tigers tied their season high with 25 turnovers, and it was too large a grave to dig out of in a 75-65 loss to Ole Miss (18-7, 8-4 SEC).