Missouri Tigers men’s basketball vs. Mississippi: Prediction, time, TV, lineups
THE DETAILS
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Betting line: Missouri by 2
About Mississippi (12-12, 3-8 SEC): Mississippi has lost two games in a row after upsetting LSU on the road, 76-72, on Feb. 1. That result remains the Rebels’ only true road win this season; they’ve gone 1-4 in such games. Most recently, Ole Miss suffered a 97-83 defeat to Alabama at home on Wednesday. ... Guard Daeshun Ruffin, who led Ole Miss in scoring in the first matchup with Missouri, is out for the season with a knee injury. Most notably, Jarkel Joiner is back after missing three weeks with a back injury. The 6-foot-1 guard led Mississippi in scoring before his absence and put up 33 points against Alabama. ... KenPom ranks Mississippi No. 104.
About Missouri (9-14, 3-7 SEC): The Tigers have lost five of their last six games. The most recent loss was a 70-62 result at Vanderbilt. Mizzou had a lackluster offensive display and shot 5 of 25 (20%) on three-point attempts in that defeat. ... Forward Kobe Brown has been Missouri’s top player all season, but his brother, Kaleb, has been making his presence felt in recent weeks too. The freshman guard has played over 24 minutes in each of the last two games, totaling nine points, nine rebounds and four assists — though his impact as the only true pass-first point guard on this roster goes well beyond the box score. ... KenPom ranks Missouri No. 131.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Ole Miss | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 14 | Tye Fagan | 6-3 | Sr. | 7.4 |
G | 24 | Jarkel Joiner | 6-1 | Sr. | 14.5 |
G | 11 | Matthew Murrell | 6-4 | So. | 10.8 |
G/F | 15 | Luis Rodriguez | 6-6 | Jr. | 6.7 |
C | 3 | Nysier Brooks | 7-0 | Gr. | 9.5 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 5 | “Boogie” Coleman | 6-5 | Jr. | 10.0 |
G | 1 | Amari Davis | 6-2 | Jr. | 10.0 |
G | 12 | DaJuan Gordon | 6-3 | Jr. | 8.6 |
F | 23 | Trevon Brazile | 6-9 | Fr. | 5.5 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-8 | Jr. | 12.9 |
PREDICTION
Winning has been hard to come by for both Missouri and Mississippi this season, especially in SEC play. So Saturday’s game could be a big determiner in who finishes 13th in the league.
Georgia, with its 1-10 record in conference, seems like a lock for last place at this point. Mizzou holds a slight edge over Ole Miss at the moment thanks to the last time these two teams played, a 78-53 win for Missouri on the road.
As noted above, Mississippi’s lineup looked a bit different in that matchup. Slowing down Joyner will be crucial for the Tigers, who have repeatedly allowed opponents’ stars to go off.
Another key for Mizzou — as it always should be — is driving into the paint. This team is significantly better when it plays aggressive downhill instead of firing three-pointers, and that was how it managed to pummel Mississippi back in January. The Tigers only attempted seven shots beyond the arc in that game and took 44 shots inside — their most in SEC play.
For the first time I can recall this season, The Tigers are actually favored to win an SEC game by KenPom, which gives them a 53% chance of victory. The ESPN BPI has the contest as a near deadlock with Missouri’s odds at 49.8%.
Missouri 67, Ole Miss 65
