Missouri Tigers basketball vs. Liberty Flames: Prediction, tipoff time, TV, bet line
THE DETAILS
When: 7:15 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Betting line: Missouri by 10
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Liberty | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 24 | Micaiah Abii | 6-7 | Fr. | 8.0 |
F | 22 | Kyle Rode | 6-7 | So. | 6.0 |
F | 10 | Elijah Cuffee | 6-4 | Sr. | 10.2 |
G | 1 | Chris Parker | 6-1 | Sr. | 10.0 |
G | 2 | Darius McGhee | 5-9 | Jr. | 16.3 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | Sr. | 8.7 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-7 | So. | 8.0 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-5 | Sr. | 17.3 |
G | 1 | Xavier Pinson | 6-2 | Jr. | 14.0 |
G | 12 | Dru Smith | 6-3 | R-Sr. | 13.7 |
About Liberty (4-2): The Flames have played in six games this season already, including four games in five nights to tip off the season. They’ve been a tough out, especially for SEC programs. The Flames beat Mississippi State, then two days later, went out and defeated South Carolina in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City. They then gave TCU a tough game before falling at the end. They’re led by 5-foot-9 guard Darius McGhee along with a roster that isn’t afraid to pull up from three. KenPom has them ranked No. 121.
About Missouri (3-0): The Tigers have been a major surprise, starting a season with three straight wins for the first time since 2013-14. That’s meant some national attention for MU, which picked up votes in the AP Top 25. Mizzou had a stellar showing last week with wins over a then-ranked Oregon team along with a true road over Wichita State. The Tigers’ starting guards of Xavier Pinson, Mark Smith and Dru Smith have been a bulk of their scoring effort. KenPom ranks them No. 42.
Prediction: The numbers bear it out, but this isn’t a pushover game for the Tigers. Liberty’s proven it can be a pesky opponent — especially when it pulls up from deep. MU coach Cuonzo Martin said the Flames play a five-out, motion-type offense. Liberty leads the nation with 58.9% of its field goals being three-pointers. And the Flames don’t miss much as they make 37.4% of their three-pointers. They also hit 63% of their two-point shots, which is a top-10 mark in the nation.
That, of course, leads Mizzou susceptible to a hot-shooting night in a Liberty upset bid. The Tigers will likely run them off the three-point line to force them to adjust their game. Martin said Liberty’s prone to hit threes from way beyond the line, which can be a back-breaker for the defense.
On Mizzou’s side, it’ll continue to rely on its renewed fast-paced offense. Liberty has one of the slowest adjusted tempos in the nation, slowing the game down and minimizing the number of shots in a game. The Tigers will serve itself well by continuing to attack and forcing the Flames to run. Liberty isn’t a great defending team, but MU should stay away from a shootout.
We’ll say Liberty hangs around with some early three-pointers. The Tigers and their endless guard depth, however, make it tough to consistently score from the perimeter. MU will come out with the victory as it prepares for Braggin’ Rights against Illinois with an undefeated record.
Missouri 82, Liberty 70