Mizzou Tigers men’s basketball vs. Eastern Illinois: Time, TV, lineups, prediction
.JPG "Missouri players huddle on the court during an NCAA college basketball game against Liberty on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, in Lynchburg, Va. (Kendall Warner/The News & Advance via AP)")
THE DETAILS
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network Plus (streaming only)
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Betting line: Mizzou by 18.5
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Eastern Illinois | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 13 | Henry Abraham | 6-0 | So. | 6.8 |
G | 1 | KaShawn Charles | 6-1 | Sr. | 12.6 |
G | 23 | Kejuan Clements | 6-2 | Jr. | 8.9 |
F | 55 | Rodolfo Rufino Bolis | 6-7 | Fr. | 7.0 |
F | 20 | Sammy Friday IV | 6-9 | Gr. | 9.0 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 1 | Amari Davis | 6-2 | Jr. | 11.4 |
G | 5 | Javon Pickett | 6-5 | Sr. | 8.0 |
G | 12 | DaJuan Gordon | 6-3 | Jr. | 7.7 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-8 | Jr. | 15.3 |
F | 21 | Ronnie DeGray III | 6-6 | So. | 9.5 |
PREDICTION
About Eastern Illinois (2-7): I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much red on a KenPom page as I did when I clicked on Eastern Illinois to write this preview. The Panthers have been atrocious in their first year under coach Marty Simmons. Both of the Ohio Valley squad’s wins came against Division III opponents in Rockford (96-64) and North Park University (76-71). Two of those seven losses came to opponents that Missouri has defeated this season in Central Michigan and Northern Illinois. In the first edition of NET rankings released Monday, Eastern Illinois is No. 357 out of 358 teams. KenPom ranks Eastern Illinois No. 347 as of Monday afternoon.
About Missouri (4-4): The Tigers were picked to finish 10th in the SEC before the start of the season, but with the way they’ve performed so far this season, even that feels out of reach right now. Only three of the Tigers’ wins were against Division I opponents. Cuonzo Martin’s squad has lost its last three games against Division I teams (Florida State, Wichita State, Liberty), unable to reach 60 points in each. In the first edition of NET rankings released Monday, Missouri was No. 278, the lowest of any high-major team. KenPom ranks Missouri No. 144 as of Monday afternoon.
Prediction: If you like offense, this probably isn’t the game for you. Missouri scores .808 points per possession (303rd in the country as of Monday) and Eastern Illinois is even worse at .771 (338th).
Both teams have offenses riddled with statistics that rank towards the bottom of Division I, per KenPom (which doesn’t count non-Division I games). The Tigers have an effective field goal percentage of 43.1% (328th in the nation as of Monday) while the Panthers are at 39.9% (353rd). Mizzou makes 45.3% of its two-point shot attempts (277th) and just 25.9% of its three-pointers (341st), whereas Eastern Illinois only hits 36.8% of its two-point shots (356th) and 29.9% of its attempts beyond the arc (277).
As for offensive turnovers, MU gives up the ball on 22.5% of its possessions (313th) and EIU is even worse at 25.4% (348th).
Eastern Illinois also has an adjusted offensive efficiency of 87.3, which ranks 353rd, a defensive efficiency of 108.0 (319th) and is the worst in the country in offensive steals, as 15.3% of its offensive possessions end in opponents swiping the ball away. The Tigers will want to take advantage of that and run the fast break as much as possible in this matchup.
Despite its struggles this season, this game by all accounts should be an easy win for Missouri. And this is a must-win, as the Tigers won’t face another opponent ranked below 100 by KenPom until March 1 against South Carolina. KenPom gives Mizzou a 96% chance to win and the ESPN BPI has it at 92.3%.
Missouri 63, Eastern Illinois 47
