Missouri Tigers vs. No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers: Time, TV, lineups and a prediction
When/where: 8 p.m. Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn.
TV/radio: ESPN2; KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Projected lineups:
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
C | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | So. | 10.9 |
F | 24 | Kevin Puryear | 6-7 | Sr. | 7.4 |
F | 4 | Javon Pickett | 6-4 | Fr. | 8.1 |
G | 15 | Jordan Geist | 6-2 | Sr. | 13.9 |
G | 1 | Xavier Pinson | 6-2 | Fr. | 5.9 |
P | No. | Tennessee | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 11 | Kyle Alexander | 6-11 | Sr. | 8.7 |
F | 2 | Grant Williams | 6-7 | Jr. | 20.4 |
F | 35 | Yves Pons | 6-6 | So. | 3.0 |
G | 5 | Admiral Schofield | 6-6 | Sr. | 16.8 |
G | 0 | Jordan Bone | 6-3 | Jr. | 13.6 |
About Missouri (11-9, 2-6 SEC): Cuonzo Martin makes his long-awaited return to Knoxville. He left for California shortly after leading the Vols to the Sweet 16. Martin downplayed his return, saying he’s worried about “the task at hand.” Missouri is fresh off a win against Vanderbilt despite the absence of Mark Smith, who missed his third straight game because of a sprained left ankle. The Tigers got a 10-rebound performance out of Kevin Puryear, a Blue Springs South graduate, but the 6-foot-7 senior was unable to hit any shots. Jeremiah Tilmon is having the best stretch of his career right now, as he’s gone the last six games logging at least 26 minutes and scoring no fewer than eight points. He needs to stay on the floor in Knoxville.
About Tennessee (20-1, 8-0 SEC): The Vols haven’t lost since Missouri last played them on Jan. 8. Rick Barnes’ squad has had a pair of scares against Alabama and Vanderbilt, but still emerged victorious in both. Missouri did a great job defensively on Grant Williams, as he finished with just four points, two of which came on free throws. Williams continues to have an All-American season, averaging 20.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.1 assist per game. The Vols are No. 1 in the AP Poll and enter Tuesday’s game on a 16-game winning streak.
Prediction: Missouri keeps the game closer than it did a few weeks ago (a 24-point loss), thanks to Tilmon staying on the floor but fails to pull off the upset. Tennessee 70, Missouri 55
This story was originally published February 4, 2019 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Missouri Tigers vs. No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers: Time, TV, lineups and a prediction."