Mizzou Tigers men’s basketball vs. Wichita State: Time, TV, lineups, prediction for Friday night
.JPG "Missouri’s Javon Pickett claps as he watches the final seconds tick off the clock during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Northern Illinois, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 54-37. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)")
THE DETAILS
When: 8 p.m Central time Friday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Betting line: N/A (as of Thursday morning)
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Wichita State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 2 | Craig Porter Jr. | 6-2 | Jr. | 4.8 |
G | 1 | Tyson Etienne | 6-2 | So. | 18.8 |
G | 0 | Dexter Dennis | 6-5 | Jr. | 8.0 |
F | 32 | Joe Pleasant | 6-7 | Jr. | 2.8 |
F | 24 | Morris Udeze | 6-8 | Jr. | 7.0 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 5 | Boogie Coleman | 6-5 | R-Jr. | 7.2 |
G | 1 | Amari Davis | 6-2 | Jr. | 9.4 |
G | 12 | DaJuan Gordon | 6-3 | Jr. | 7.8 |
G | 4 | Javon Pickett | 6-5 | Sr. | 9.0 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-8 | Jr. | 16.0 |
About Wichita State (4-1): The defending American Athletic Conference champion Shockers’ lone loss this season came by four points in overtime to Arizona, now ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25. After withdrawing from the NBA Draft, guard Tyson Etienne has followed up his Co-AAC Player of the Year campaign with averages of 18.8 points, 2.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds. He most recently had 28 points and six three-pointers at a 50% clip in Wichita State’s 74-73 win over UNLV. The Shockers have been great defensively but are shooting 38.5% from the field. KenPom ranks Wichita State No. 65 (as of Thursday morning).
About Missouri (3-2): The Tigers are coming off an 81-58 blowout loss to Florida State in the Jacksonville Classic final on Monday. Kobe Brown stepped into a clear role as the team’s best player in his junior season, currently averaging 16.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 63% from the field and 45.5% from deep, all of which are team highs among qualifying players. The Tigers haven’t been able to really find a rhythm on offense, often going on long scoring droughts and shooting a mere 41.4% on field goal attempts and 30.6% on three-pointers. KenPom ranks Missouri No. 118 (as of Thursday morning).
PREDICTION
Friday’s game figures to be a defensive matchup between teams who haven’t quite been able to heat things up offensively. Wichita State has been the better defensive team so far though and the Shockers also boast a future NBA talent in Etienne.
Missouri has often been careless with the ball this season, currently averaging 15.4 turnovers per game and allowing opponents to score nearly 20 points off of those mistakes per game. That could be a huge problem against the Shockers, who force opponents to turn the ball over on 25.6% of their possessions, which ranks 19th in the nation (as of Thursday morning), per KenPom. That squares out to 18.2 turnovers per game for Wichita State’s opponents, and though the Shockers’ transition offense hasn’t been very good so far, that’s something the Tigers will need to be mindful of.
Another factor in this game will of course be how the Tigers guard Etienne. They’ve allowed a lot of shooters to get hot from deep this season, and if they do the same with Etienne, it’s hard to see them coming out with a win. Guard Ricky Council IV is another long-range threat to keep an eye on.
This feels like a game that could go either way and I expect it to be a close one. KenPom gives the Tigers a 45% chance of winning while the ESPN BPI favors them at 61.2%. I think Mizzou falls behind early but is able to squeak by with a victory here.
Missouri 64, Wichita State 62
This story was originally published November 25, 2021 at 1:08 PM.
