Keys for Mizzou basketball vs. Arkansas: Tigers get chance to avenge prior loss
Arkansas at Missouri
WHEN/WHERE: 5 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia
TV/RADIO: ESPN2, KMBZ (980 AM)
PROJECTED LINEUPS:
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
C | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | Fr. | 8.1 |
F | 24 | Kevin Puryear | 6-7 | Jr. | 9.0 |
F | 21 | Jordan Barnett | 6-7 | Sr. | 13.9 |
G | 33 | Cullen VanLeer | 6-4 | Jr. | 2.4 |
G | 3 | Kassius Robertson | 6-3 | Sr. | 16.6 |
P | No. | Arkansas | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 10 | Daniel Gafford | 6-11 | Fr. | 11.9 |
F | 13 | Dustin Thomas | 6-8 | Sr. | 5.1 |
G | 00 | Jaylen Barford | 6-3 | Sr. | 18.1 |
G | 4 | Daryl Macon | 6-3 | Sr. | 17.3 |
G | 31 | Anton Beard | 6-0 | Sr. | 9.5 |
Keys for Missouri (19-11, 9-8 SEC):
- Stop Daniel Gafford: The Arkansas freshman had a huge game in the Razorbacks' 65-63 home win over Mizzou in January. The 6-foot-11 freshman had 15 points and six rebounds and was a big reason Arkansas rallied after Missouri took a late lead. Gafford outplayed the likes of freshmen Jeremiah Tilmon and Jontay Porter and is already considered an NBA lottery pick in June’s draft. “I think he’s got a lot better from the time we played him,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. “He’s athletic, he’s mobile, he can guard smaller guys, he can guard big guys.”
- Run offense through Jontay Porter: Missouri is 14-1 when Porter scores 10 or more points with the one loss in overtime to Mississippi. Porter is coming off a career game (24 points, seven rebounds and six assists) against Vanderbilt in which he became the first Mizzou freshman to score more than 20 points with at least five assists and rebounds since Keyon Dooling in 1999. Porter’s ability to hit shots from all over the floor is a huge weapon for Missouri. Taking advantage of it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
- Get strong play from the seniors: Arkansas boasts one of the most senior-heavy teams in the nation with seven and is bound to get big plays from a few of them. Seniors Kassius Robertson and Jordan Barnett will be playing their last game at Mizzou Arena and have been a huge reason why Missouri is in the NCAA Tournament conversation despite the absence of Michael Porter Jr. Strong play from the two of them would help a relatively young team like Missouri.
Keys for Arkansas (21-9 10-7 SEC):
- Force turnovers: Arkansas forced 16 turnovers against Missouri in their Jan. 13 meeting, which isn’t a bad statistic for Missouri given the Razorbacks' famous press defense. Martin said Thursday that Missouri has to take care of the ball if it wants to win on Saturday.
- Distribute the ball on offense: Missouri is coming off a strong defensive performance against Vanderbilt, but the Commodores didn’t have as many scoring weapons as Arkansas. Missouri was able to lock down senior Jeff Roberson after a strong first half, thanks to strong defense by Barnett. Arkansas could stretch Missouri's defense.
- Be physical with Michael Porter Jr. (if he plays): The nation’s top freshman will be a game-time decision Saturday after getting more practices under his belt. The biggest question regarding Porter, should he return, is whether he can take contact. Coming off of back surgery, Porter won’t be as conditioned as the rest of his teammates and Arkansas is the most physical team Missouri will have played. Should Porter get in for any amount of time, the easiest way to make him work is to bump him around.
This story was originally published March 2, 2018 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Keys for Mizzou basketball vs. Arkansas: Tigers get chance to avenge prior loss."