Mizzou Tigers basketball at Kentucky Wildcats: TV, tipoff time and a prediction
THE DETAILS
Tipoff: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Kentucky | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 4 | Nick Richards | 6-11 | Jr. | 12.0 |
F | 23 | EJ Montgomery | 6-10 | So. | 8.3 |
F | 2 | Kahlil Whitney | 6-6 | Fr. | 4.8 |
G | 0 | Ashton Hagans | 6-3 | So. | 13.4 |
G | 3 | Tyrese Maxey | 6-3 | Fr. | 14.3 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | Jr. | 9.2 |
F | 5 | Mitchell Smith | 6-10 | R-Jr. | 4.0 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-7 | Fr. | 5.3 |
G | 12 | Dru Smith | 6-3 | Jr. | 11.8 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-5 | Jr. | 11.8 |
About Kentucky (9-3): The No. 17 Wildcats have been good, but not great by their standards. On one hand, they have wins against No. 14 Michigan State and No. 7 Louisville. But they also infamously lost a home game to Evansville. Look out for freshman phenom Tyrese Maxey, who’s already hit some big shots, leading Kentucky with 14.3 points per game. KenPom ranks the Wildcats at No. 15.
About Missouri (8-4): The Tigers are on an upswing, winners of their last four games. The three-point shooting has been trending up, 42.6% in the last three games. Mizzou’s depth has been noteworthy, with unlikely key contributors starting to make their mark. The Tigers are led by Dru Smith and Mark Smith, the duo tied for the team lead with 11.8 points per game. Forward Jeremiah Tilmon’s day to day because of a foot injury, though all indications say he should be ready. KenPom has Mizzou at 49th.
Prediction: This is likely one of the toughest games on Mizzou’s schedule. It doesn’t help Mizzou has to play at Rupp Arena, as tough a road atmosphere as any. We’ll say the Tigers keep it close early, but a mix of Maxey and Kentucky’s talent pulls away in the second half. If the Tigers can force a few turnovers and play a clean game on the offensive side, Mizzou has the chance to pull off an upset — which is what this college hoops season is known for.
Kentucky 65, Missouri 56