Missouri Tigers basketball vs. Bradley Braves: Prediction, TV, tipoff time, lineups
THE DETAILS
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Betting line: Missouri by 12
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Bradley | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 1 | Ari Boya | 7-1 | Jr. | 5.6 |
F | 10 | Elijah Childs | 6-8 | Sr. | 14.6 |
G | 4 | Terry Nolan Jr. | 6-4 | Jr. | 11.0 |
G | 23 | Ville Tahvanainen | 6-4 | So. | 9.6 |
G | 5 | Sean East II | 6-3 | So. | 9.4 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | Sr. | 7.4 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-7 | So. | 7.6 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-5 | Sr. | 14.8 |
G | 1 | Xavier Pinson | 6-2 | Jr. | 14.2 |
G | 12 | Dru Smith | 6-3 | R-Sr. | 14.6 |
PREDICTION
About Bradley (6-2): The Braves have been a tough out this year, including a close one-point road loss to Xavier. Bradley has also won the past two Missouri Valley Conference tournament championships, earning NCAA Tournament bids. The Braves are big down low and are one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the nation. KenPom has them No. 122.
About Missouri (5-0): The No. 14-ranked Tigers haven’t played in more than a week as schedule changes forced a long layoff. They boast one of the best resumes in the nation as part of a tough nonconference schedule. MU has been led by their starting guards in Xavier Pinson, Mark Smith and Dru Smith, but a deep roster has allowed them to spread the wealth. KenPom ranks them No. 35.
Prediction: Bradley won’t jump off the paper when glancing at Mizzou’s schedule, but the Braves are another sneakily tough foe for MU coach Cuonzo Martin’s team. They’re a mid-major team, yes, but the Braves will put up a fight, another reason why the Tigers scheduled them in the first place.
Bradley is middle-of-the-pack on both sides of the ball, but has shown it can grab offensive rebounds. The Braves also defend two-pointers at one of the best clips in the nation, courtesy of 7-foot-1 Ari Boya and 6-foot-8 Elijah Childs roaming the paint. Layups won’t be a given against the Braves.
Except Mizzou to show some rust considering it hasn’t played since the Braggin’ Rights win over Illinois. A canceled game during a lean week forced the Tigers to sit at home and practice instead of getting live reps.
We’ll say Bradley hangs around in the opening minutes, but Mizzou turns it on once it finds its groove. There will be a big run that will more or less decide the game, though the Braves threaten to come back a few times. But MU stands strong to remain perfect this season.
Missouri 76, Bradley 62