Missouri Tigers basketball at Tennessee Volunteers: Prediction, TV, lineups, bet line
THE DETAILS
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
TV: SEC Network
Betting line: Tennessee by 6.5
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Tennessee | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 10 | John Fulkerson | 6-9 | R-Sr. | 12.2 |
F | 35 | Yves Pons | 6-6 | Sr. | 7.3 |
G | 5 | Josiah-Jordan James | 6-6 | So. | 8.1 |
G | 12 | Victor Bailey Jr. | 6-6 | Jr. | 11.6 |
G | 25 | Santiago Vescovi | 6-3 | So. | 9.8 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | Sr. | 12.0 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-7 | So. | 11.6 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-5 | Sr. | 6.7 |
G | 1 | Xavier Pinson | 6-2 | Jr. | 12.9 |
G | 12 | Dru Smith | 6-3 | Sr. | 12.1 |
PREDICTION
About No. 6 Tennessee (10-2, 4-2 SEC): The Vols looked dominant when they beat up the Tigers, looking like the team to beat in the SEC. Reality hasn’t lived up to those expectations though. Tennessee fell victim to Alabama and was hapless in a 75-49 loss to Florida in their last game. Tennessee still has one of the best defenses in the country, led by forwards Yves Pons and John Fulkerson. KenPom ranks them No. 12.
About No. 19 Missouri (9-2, 3-2 SEC): The Tigers had a COVID-19 pause, a second-half collapse and are currently on a two-game win streak since they last faced the Vols. It’s been the Jeremiah Tilmon show throughout SEC play as he’s excelled and turned the corner. Tilmon’s emergence has been crucial for a MU team which has seen its guard play fluctuate on who’s hot and who’s not. But that’s the perk of having a deep, experienced team as the Tigers shuffle who’s the No. 1 option on a nightly basis. KenPom has them No. 37.
Prediction: Mizzou claims it knows it can hang with Tennessee despite the 20-point loss to open SEC play. The Tigers will have a chance to prove just that against a Tennessee squad that picked them apart last time out. Pons finished with four blocks that game and was a force on the defensive end.
That wasn’t helped by Tennessee sprinting to a 23-4 lead that game. MU coach Cuonzo Martin said there could be some dead legs going into the game because of the holiday layoff. But only the Tigers got that memo as the Vols were punishing right from tipoff.
Road games aren’t quite the same during a pandemic, but the Tigers can’t afford to let the Vols do whatever they want. While Martin has built his program on toughness, MU didn’t exhibit any of those characteristics in that loss. The Tigers have shown a willingness to punch opponents in the mouth this season and will need that juice against Tennessee.
We’ll say this one isn’t a blowout by any means as the Vols flash their defensive pressure. But the Tigers aren’t willing to back down, and a couple three-pointers drop to make it a grind down the stretch. But Tennessee comes out with the victory, pulling away in the final minutes as MU’s comeback attempt falls just short.
Tennessee 65, Missouri 60