Mizzou Tigers basketball vs. Florida Gators: TV, tipoff time and a prediction
THE DETAILS
Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Florida | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 24 | Kerry Blackshear Jr. | 6-10 | Gr. | 14.6 |
F | 11 | Keyontae Johnson | 6-5 | So. | 13.4 |
G | 23 | Scottie Lewis | 6-5 | Fr. | 9.2 |
G | 2 | Andrew Nembhard | 6-5 | So. | 11.4 |
G | 10 | Noah Locke | 6-3 | So. | 9.9 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 14 | Reed Nikko | 6-10 | R-Sr. | 2.2 |
F | 5 | Mitchell Smith | 6-10 | R-Jr. | 4.3 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-7 | Fr. | 5.6 |
G | 12 | Dru Smith | 6-3 | R-Jr. | 11.3 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-5 | Jr. | 11.1 |
About Florida (10-4, 2-0 SEC): The Gators struggled out of the gate, going from preseason No. 6 to unranked. They took care of business to open SEC play, defeating Alabama and South Carolina. The obvious inside presence is 6-foot-10 forward Kerry Blackshear Jr., who graduate transferred from Virginia Tech. Florida’s been an inconsistent team at times, including in losses to Utah State and Connecticut. KenPom ranks the Gators at No. 23.
About Missouri (8-6, 0-2 SEC): The Tigers dropped their first two games of SEC play to Kentucky and Tennessee. It was a tough start for Mizzou as its NCAA Tournament hopes now hang in the balance. Forward Jeremiah Tilmon is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left foot, a significant blow to Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin’s team. The Tigers aren’t panicking, but they need to start finishing games to pick up some wins. KenPom has Mizzou at 55th.
Prediction: It’s another tough game for Mizzou, one that’s magnified without Tilmon’s presence on the floor. Florida’s a talented team and guarding Blackshear becomes even more difficult now. Mizzou needs Mark Smith to get going after back-to-back games scoring seven points to open SEC play. It’s a chance at a Quadrant 1 win for the Tigers and they could really use it. But we’ll say the Tigers drop their third straight against a talented Florida team. But if the defense can bounce back after getting gashed by Tennessee, Mizzou has a chance to pull off an upset.
Florida 65, Missouri 59