A career-night from Mark Smith wasn’t enough for Missouri to solve its problems at Bud Walton Arena, as the Tigers wasted a strong start to lose 72-60 to Arkansas on Wednesday night.
Smith tied his career-high with 22 points, which included six threes, but MU (10-7, 1-4 SEC) was unable to overcome former coach Mike Anderson’s press, which led to loads of MU turnovers.
Missouri raced out to a 17-4 lead in the first nine minutes, powered by Smith’s shooting and Jeremiah Tilmon’s presence. Tilmon wasn’t fazed by Arkansas star sophomore Daniel Gafford, a consensus first round pick in June’s NBA Draft, and went right after him for a pair of early baskets.