Missouri Tigers vs. Morehead State Eagles: Tipoff time, TV, projected lineups, prediction
When/where: 1 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena, Columbia
TV/Radio: SEC Network+; KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Projected Lineups:
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-4 | So. | 11.1 |
G | 15 | Jordan Geist | 6-2 | Sr. | 13.4 |
F | 4 | Javon Pickett | 6-4 | Fr. | 7.1 |
F | 24 | Kevin Puryear | 6-7 | Sr. | 9 |
C | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | So. | 11.5 |
P | No. | Morehead State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 0 | A.J. Hicks | 6-0 | Sr. | 11.8 |
G | 1 | De’Von Cooper | 6-4 | So. | 7.4 |
G | 2 | Jordan Walker | 6-0 | Jr. | 15.3 |
F | 3 | James Baker | 6-6 | So. | 5.2 |
F | 13 | Lamontray Harris | 6-7 | Sr. | 13.1 |
About Missouri (8-3): After an impressive win over Illinois in the Braggin’ Rights game, Missouri returns after a week off to face an undersized Morehead State team. The Tigers and Eagles last faced off in 1984 and MU enters the game riding a five-game winning streak. Jordan Geist led MU in its win over Illinois with 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists while Jeremiah Tilmon had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Tilmon picked up SEC Player of the Week honors after averaging 19.5 points and 11 rebounds against Illinois and Xavier.
About Morehead State (4-8): The Eagles have an undersized team compared to MU and enter Saturday’s game with a tall task. MSU hasn’t played well against high-major competition this season and while Harris is a double-double threat, he won’t have any type of size advantage against Tilmon.
Prediction: Missouri has no reason to lose this game given the team’s recent hot play and the competition and size advantages it has over Morehead State. Jeremiah Tilmon continues his strong play with another double-double while Jordan Geist gets to rest his back. Missouri opens Southeastern Conference play on Jan. 8 against Tennessee riding a six-game winning streak. Missouri 70, Morehead State 50