Missouri Tigers basketball at Vanderbilt Commodores: TV, tipoff time and a prediction
The details
Tipoff: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium, Nashville, Tennessee
TV: ESPNU
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Projected lineups
P | No. | Vanderbilt | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 50 | Ejike Obinna | 6-10 | So. | 3.5 |
F | 1 | Dylan Disu | 6-9 | Fr. | 6.9 |
G | 3 | Maxwell Evans | 6-2 | Jr. | 8.3 |
G | 0 | Saban Lee | 6-2 | Jr. | 17.9 |
G | 2 | Scotty Pippen Jr. | 6-1 | Fr. | 11.3 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 14 | Reed Nikko | 6-10 | Sr. | 4.7 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-7 | Fr. | 6.1 |
G | 4 | Javon Pickett | 6-5 | So. | 7.2 |
G | 12 | Dru Smith | 6-3 | Jr. | 12.6 |
G | 1 | Xavier Pinson | 6-2 | So. | 10.4 |
About Vanderbilt (9-18, 1-13 SEC): The Commodores have sifted through a long season, including losing another potential NBA pick for the second year in the row. This year, leading scorer Aaron Nesmith went down with a foot injury. It’s been a rough year for first-year coach Jerry Stackhouse as the losses pile up. The Dores have looked dangerous for some stretches, threatening the top of the league. KenPom has them No. 171.
About Missouri (13-14, 5-9 SEC): The Tigers appeared to be trending up but their win streak was halted by Arkansas in another road loss. Mizzou has played better basketball of late, though it’s been a struggle away from Columbia. Guards Xavier Pinson and Dru Smith have been vital in recent weeks, leading the team to victories. According to MU coach Cuonzo Martin, it’s likely both Jeremiah Tilmon and Mark Smith are back for the Wednesday game. KenPom ranks them No. 107.
Prediction: Mizzou’s still looking for its first SEC road win, coming into the Wednesday game at 0-7. Against a Vandy team in last place in the conference, it’s the perfect chance for the Tigers. But the Dores are still dangerous: their lone SEC win was against a then-ranked LSU. We’ll say Mizzou comes away with the win. But sloppy play can sink a season that looked like it was on the upswing.
Missouri 72, Vanderbilt 64