Mizzou Tigers men’s basketball vs. SMU: Time, TV, lineups, prediction for Sunday night
.JPG "Missouri’s Kobe Brown, left, drives past Northern Illinois’ Anthony Crump, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 54-37.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)")
THE DETAILS
When: 7 p.m. Central time Sunday
Where: UNF Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Betting line: SMU by 6.5
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | SMU | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 3 | Kendric Davis | 6-0 | Sr. | 17.8 |
G | 5 | Emmanuel Bandoumel | 6-4 | Sr. | 10.8 |
G | 10 | Zach Nutall | 6-3 | Sr. | 8.0 |
G/F | 50 | Marcus Weathers | 6-5 | Sr. | 13.5 |
F | 22 | Isaiah Jasey | 6-10 | Sr. | 3.3 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 5 | Boogie Coleman | 6-5 | R-Jr. | 9.7 |
G | 12 | DaJuan Gordon | 6-3 | Jr. | 5.0 |
G | 4 | Javon Pickett | 6-5 | Sr. | 11.7 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-8 | Jr. | 14.3 |
C | 32 | Jordan Wilmore | 7-3 | So. | 4.7 |
PREDICTION
About SMU: The Mustangs are 3-1 so far in their sixth season under coach Tim Jankovich. They have dominant victories over McNeese State (86-62), Northwestern State (95-48) and Southeastern Louisiana (78-61), but each of those teams are ranked No. 302 or lower by Kenpom. SMU did face a test in its second game of the season though against then-No. 13 Oregon, and it was blown out in a 86-63 defeat. It’s worth noting that the Ducks were then embarrassed by BYU, 81-49, on their home court. Guard Kendric Davis has been exceptional so far this season to lead the way for the Mustangs, averaging 17.8 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds through four games. Kenpom ranks SMU No. 60.
About Missouri: The Tigers are 2-1, but their wins haven’t been that convincing and their blowout loss to the Kansas City Roos of the Summit League two games ago was quite bad. Most recently, Mizzou defeated Northern Illinois, 54-37, on Nov. 17. Though it was a solid defensive performance for coach Cuonzo Martin’s squad, the offense was shaky, as it has been throughout the young season. The Tigers are shooting just 27.3% from beyond the arc, 44.1% from the field and 66.1% from the line so far this year, and they’re only averaging 66.0 points per game despite having played teams with an average 282.3 Kenpom ranking. Kenpom ranks Missouri No. 113.
Prediction: Set to face in the Jacksonville Classic, the Tigers and Mustangs meet for the first time since Dec. 1, 1999 and the first time on a neutral court dating all the way back to 1946.
It’s hard to have much confidence in Missouri knocking off a team like SMU with how horrid its offense has been so this season. The lack of actual plays being run has been pretty jarring. Martin said he wants his guys to space out and play, but that just isn’t working so far. Neither is what he mentioned in the preseason about wanting this team to play at a fast pace.
The SMU defense could cause a lot of problems for an already struggling Tiger offense. The Mustangs are holding opponents to shoot 22.1% from deep, which ranks 15th in the country. They are also limiting opponents to a 41.3% effective field goal percentage, which sits at 29th in the nation.
Kenpom gives Mizzou a 33% chance to win the game and the ESPN BPI has the odds at 30%.
SMU 72, Missouri 61
