COLUMBIA - After scoring 59 points in each of its first two Southeastern Conference games, Missouri scored 51 against Florida.
In the first half.
The Tigers looked electric, lighting up the scoreboard with 3-pointers, getting to the rim at will and posterizing Gators defenders on dunks, and looked so far from the typical Cuonzo Martin team that would rather grind down the clock, play good defense and finish with one more point than their opponent.
"More than anything, shots went down," Martin said.
Because Missouri (9-6, 1-2 SEC) outscored Florida by 16, winning 91-75 at Mizzou Arena. It's the highest scoring output in any conference game by the Tigers in Martin's tenure, surpassing the 89 points they scored in an overtime win against Mississippi State on Feb. 10, 2018. It's the most points the team has scored in a conference game since beating Arkansas 93-63 on March 5, 2013.
"More confident. The ball really moved," Florida coach Mike White said of what was different about Missouri's offense. "They had terrific spacing. I thought they rode Dru Smith a lot in ball screen actions and they were in a great rhythm for 40 minutes.
"As a staff, we felt helpless. We couldn't find a way to get stops."
Missouri shot 62 percent from the floor, 12-of-19 from 3-point range, and dominated points in the paint, 40-14, against a team that had given up more than 70 points just twice all season.
Dru Smith scored a game-high 22 points and showed off his ability to create a shot for himself, not just his teammates, shooting 8-of-12 overall while also dishing out a team-high six assists. He added five steals, a career-high, and is the second Missouri player to hit those numbers in a single game since 1980 following Anthony Peeler.
Mark Smith and Javon Pickett each added 14 points and Mitchell Smith tacked on 10, finishing a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the foul line. Kobe Brown added nine points, four rebounds and four assists and attacked Florida big man Kerry Blackshear Jr. without fear.
"I thought Kobe did a great job of setting the tone against Blackshear and driving the ball, putting pressure on him," Martin said. "Because he's such a talented guy, so you have to make him defend."
The Tigers started the game with a 3 from Mark Smith, never trailed, and led by as many as 24, at 88-64 with 5:39 remaining in the game.
Missouri hounded Blackshear, the preseason SEC player of the year, all night, as the graduate transfer from Virginia Tech finished with 22 points but shot 5-of-12 from the field and 10-of-11 at the foul line.
Missouri was in foul trouble for the end of both halves, but made up for its minus-12 differential in foul shot attempts by answering every Gators run with a timely basket from players up and down the roster. The only players in black and gold to finish without scoring were Parker Braun and Axel Okongo, who played a combined 13 minutes.
The news wasn't all good, however, as the team announced freshman guard Mario McKinney was suspended indefinitely.
"He's not part of the team right now, so I'll leave it at that," Martin said of McKinney's suspension.
Missouri plays at Mississippi State at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.