Missouri-Arkansas lineups, tipoff time, TV, facts and figures
Missouri at Arkansas
WHEN/WHERE: 5 p.m. Saturday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
TV/RADIO: SEC Network; KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Projected starters
P No. Missouri Ht. Yr. PPG
F 21 Jordan Barnett 6-7 Jr. 12.5
F 24 Kevin Puryear 6-7 So. 11.4
F 25 Russell Woods 6-8 Sr. 7.7
G 11 K.J. Walton 6-3 So. 7.6
G 15 Jordan Geist 6-2 So. 6.5
P No. Arkansas Ht. Yr. PPG
F 5 Arlando Cook 6-8 Jr. 3.7
F 33 Moses Kingsley 6-10 Sr. 11.8
G 3 Dusty Hannahs 6-3 Sr. 14.1
G 4 Daryl Macon 6-3 Jr. 13.7
G 21 Manuale Watkins 6-3 Sr. 5.8
ABOUT MISSOURI (5-10, 0-3 SEC): Missouri has lost seven straight games, including three in a row to kick off conference play, since a 5-3 start to the season. That’s the bad news, but the Tigers have led at halftime in all three SEC games — LSU, at Georgia and Auburn. That’s an encouraging sign for third-year coach Kim Anderson’s squad, which is 0-22 overall and 0-19 in true road games during his tenure. Mizzou, which has lost eight consecutive conference games and 27 straight road games, left Columbia early Friday, hoping to avoid potentially hazardous travel conditions from Winter Storm Jupiter. To emerge victorious Saturday in Arkansas, sophomore forward Kevin Puryear needs to break out of his recent funk. He’s shooting 2 of 17 from the field in the last two games, averaging only 3.0 points, and has attempted only three free throws in three SEC games. Puryear has averaged 7.0 rebounds per game in conference, which is tied for ninth in the SEC.
ABOUT ARKANSAS (12-4, 1-3 SEC): Razorbacks coach Mike Anderson spent five seasons at Mizzou. His .661 win percentage is the highest in Tigers history for any coach who lasted at least three seasons. However, Anderson’s Arkansas teams lost three of his first four games against Missouri. More recently, Anderson is riding a four-game win streak against his former team. The Hogs were expected to be among the SEC’s top teams but are off to a 1-3 start in conference, including home losses against Florida and Mississippi State. Arkansas has scored at least 71 points in every game this season and ranks 37th in NCAA Division I at 81.6 points per game. That presents a challenge for Mizzou, which has scored fewer than 70 points in eight of 15 games this season.
Tod Palmer: 816-234-4389, @todpalmer
This story was originally published January 13, 2017 at 7:44 PM with the headline "Missouri-Arkansas lineups, tipoff time, TV, facts and figures."