Dru Smith named to preseason All-SEC second team

Missouri men’s basketball redshirt senior Dru Smith was named to the preseason All-SEC second team by regional and national media members Thursday.

After transferring from Evansville, Smith started all 31 games for the Tigers last season. He led Missouri in points (12.7 per game), assists (3.9 per game) and steals (2.1 per game) while shooting 41.2% from the field and a team-best 89.9% from the free-throw line, which ranked 11th in the nation. Smith’s 64 steals led the SEC, ranking 20th nationally and sixth all-time in program history.

Smith became the second player in the SEC since 1992 to average at least 12.7 points, 3.9 assists, 2.1 steals and 4.2 rebounds per game.

As a team, Missouri was ranked 10th in the SEC preseason media poll. Last season, the Tigers were predicted to finish 13th but finished 10th.