Mizzou Tigers men’s basketball vs. No. 1 Auburn: Prediction, time, TV, lineups
THE DETAILS
When: 7:30 p.m. Central time Tuesday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Betting line: Auburn by 14
About No. 1 Auburn (18-1, 7-0 SEC): Bruce Pearl’s squad is ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in program history after defeating No. 12 Kentucky 80-71 last Saturday. Auburn has won 15 games in a row, with its loss to then-No. 22 UConn in overtime on a neutral court back in November. This team is deep; Pearl plays 11 players at least 10 minutes per game, with four of those averaging double-figure scoring (Jabari Smith, Wendell Green Jr., K.D. Johnson and Walker Kessler). Leading the way is Smith, who is projected by many as the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft. He’s averaging 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals in just 27.2 minutes per game while shooting 43% from deep. KenPom ranks Auburn No. 5.
About Missouri (8-10, 2-4 SEC): Mizzou has lost three of its last four games, most recently to Alabama on the road, 86-76, last Saturday. Cuonzo Martin’s team led by as many as 14 points multiple times, but fell apart down the stretch. Missouri lamented about the free-throw disparity afterwards: It got to the line just five times compared to 29 trips for the Crimson Tide. MU is currently tied for 10th place in the SEC with South Carolina and Vanderbilt — though both of those teams have better overall records. KenPom ranks Missouri No. 137.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Auburn | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 0 | K.D. Johnson | 6-0 | So. | 13.1 |
G | 12 | Zep Jasper | 6-0 | Sr. | 5.1 |
G | 22 | Allen Flanigan | 6-6 | Jr. | 7.9 |
F | 10 | Jabari Smith Jr. | 6-10 | Fr. | 15.7 |
C | 13 | Walker Kessler | 7-1 | So. | 10.7 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 4 | ‘Boogie’ Coleman | 6-5 | Jr. | 10.1 |
G | 5 | Javon Pickett | 6-5 | Sr. | 9.5 |
G | 12 | DaJuan Gordon | 6-3 | Jr. | 8.9 |
F | 23 | Trevon Brazile | 6-9 | Fr. | 5.9 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-8 | Jr. | 13.8 |
PREDICTION
The No. 1 men’s basketball team in the country comes to Mizzou Arena for the first time since Jan. 29, 2015. That meeting with Kentucky ended in a 69-53 loss for Missouri.
Mizzou has faced top-ranked teams 22 times in program history, going 4-18. The last time MU defeated a No. 1 squad was on Feb. 4, 1997, when it took down Kansas 96-94 in double overtime in Columbia.
Nearly 24 years later, does Missouri stand a chance against No. 1 Auburn? The computers surely don’t seem to think so. KenPom puts the odds at 10% and the ESPN BPI has it at 8.2%.
Smith, a 6-10 forward with a silky smooth jump shot, is going to be a lot for Mizzou to handle, as will guards Green (13.0 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds) and Johnson (13.1 points, 2.2 steals). Containing Kessler, a 7-foot-1 center, also presents quite the matchup nightmare.
Kessler has averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.0 blocks over his last three outings. That could be a recipe for disaster against Missouri, which has struggled to defend dominant big men like Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn (25 points, 14 rebounds vs MU) and Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe (13 points, 20 rebounds, two blocks).
The Missouri women’s hoops team was able to do the unthinkable and knock off No. 1 South Carolina back in December. I’m not counting on the men’s team to do the same — but who knows, maybe there’s some magic left in Mizzou Arena.
Auburn 83, Missouri 68
