Mizzou basketball at Temple Owls: Tipoff time, TV, radio and a prediction
The details
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: ESPNU
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Projected lineups
P | No. | Temple | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 21 | Justyn Hamilton | 6-10 | Jr. | 4.0 |
F | 4 | J.P. Moorman II | 6-7 | Jr. | 5.9 |
G | 1 | Quinton Rose | 6-8 | Sr. | 14.6 |
G | 15 | Nate Pierre-Louis | 6-4 | Jr. | 18.8 |
G | 0 | Alani Moore II | 5-10 | Sr. | 11.4 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | Jr. | 10.8 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-7 | Fr. | 6.0 |
G | 1 | Xavier Pinson | 6-2 | So. | 8.3 |
G | 12 | Dru Smith | 6-3 | Jr. | 11.0 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-5 | Jr. | 12.4 |
About Temple (6-1): The Owls have been impressive. Their only loss is to No. 3 Maryland, when they fought the Terps close in a 76-69 loss. They have wins over Texas A&M and USC — they’ve fared well against some power-conference opponents. KenPom ranks them No. 62. They’re led by senior guard Quinton Rose, who is averaging 14.6 points per game as one of three Owls with double-figure scoring averages.
About Missouri (4-4): The Tigers desperately need some good breaks after falling into a three-game losing streak, including a stunner to Charleston Southern last time out. They’ve struggled to shoot the ball with any consistency, which leads to a bogged-down offense that can’t put up points. At their best, they can slow down opponents defensively. But they are vulnerable when shots don’t fall. After hovering around the 30s in KenPom, the Tigers have fallen to 65th.
Prediction: To Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin’s credit, these Tigers are defending. But so are the Owls, allowing just 59.4 points per game, 22nd in the nation. It’s looking like another ugly game could be at hand, although that’s likely what Martin wants. If Tigers forward Jeremiah Tilmon can get going in the first half, Mizzou might develop some consistency on offense. And that’s been a big “if” in the early going. We’ll say Mizzou wins this one in a bounce-back ... though if the Tigers start slow again, all bets are off.
Missouri 62, Temple 60