Mizzou’s basketball game against Texas A&M could come down to rebounding

Missouri at Texas A&M

WHEN/WHERE: 3 p.m. Saturday at Reed Arena, College Station, Texas

TV/RADIO: ESPN2; KMBZ (980 AM)

PROJECTED LINEUPS:

Keys for Missouri (13-5, 3-2 SEC)

Avoid the late-game collapse. Mizzou finally did this in a win over No. 21 Tennessee — but just barely. The Tigers’ 10-point lead dissolved to one point late in that game against the Volunteers. Graduate transfer guard Kassius Robertson said after the game against Tennessee that Mizzou must grow its late-game leads — from five, to 10, to 20 — rather than using them as cushions.

Get production from freshmen Jontay Porter and Jeremiah Timon. Mizzou’s three-point centric attack often relies on posting one these two big men up and making defenses collapse on them so they can pass to open teammates on the perimeter. Against the Aggies, Porter and Tilmon will need to be able to score from the post, too. Texas A&M is one of the best in the country at defending three-pointers. The last time Mizzou played a good three-point defense — when it beat Georgia — Porter and Tilmon ignited the offense in the second half. They combined to make 9 of 16 field goal attempts in that win over the Bulldogs.

Contain another SEC Player of the Year. Texas A&M power forward Robert Williams was one of three preseason co-SEC players of the year. Mizzou’s Michael Porter Jr. and Georgia’s Yante Maten were the others. When the Tigers took on Maten, he had his worst game of the year, scoring fewer than 10 points for the only time this season. Williams’ season began with a three-game suspension, including an exhibition, and the sophomore has been inconsistent since. He is averaging 9.4 points and 9.5 rebounds. Jontay Porter was the primary defender on Maten, so expect to see him guard Williams while Tilmon defends the Aggies’ 6-10 center, Tyler Davis.

Keys for Texas A&M (12-6, 1-5 SEC)

Control the glass and score second chance points. Texas A&M is fourth in the country and first in the SEC in average rebounds per game (41.8). The Aggies have grabbed at least 10 offensive rebounds in five of their six conference games this season. Against Alabama, the Aggies had 20 offensive rebounds. They’ll have a chance for a similar performance against Mizzou. In conference games, the Tigers rank last in the SEC in opponent offensive rebound percentage. Put more plainly: The Tigers have given up a lot of offensive boards recently.

Force Jeremiah Tilmon and Jontay Porter into foul trouble. The 6-foot-10 Tilmon has fouled out of three SEC games this season, and the 6-foot-11 Porter has fouled out of two. The Aggies can match the Tigers’ size and make this a physical game for Missouri’s two freshmen post players. Robert Williams and Tyler Davis, the Aggies’ leading scorer, are both 6-10. If they attack Porter and Tilmon to force Mizzou’s freshmen to the bench, Missouri will become a much easier team to beat. According to KenPom.com, 55.8 percent of the Aggies’ points have come from two-point baskets, so this strategy won’t be much of a switch for them. They like to attack the basket regardless of the opponent.

Start the game well. The Aggies began conference play 0-5, and in each of those five losses, they went into halftime behind. A&M finally did outscore a conference foe during the first 20 minutes of a game when it beat Ole Miss by two points on Tuesday.