Mizzou Tigers men’s basketball vs. Arkansas Razorbacks: Prediction, time, TV, lineups
The details
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Betting line: Arkansas by 7.5
About No. 23 Arkansas (19-6, 8-4 SEC): The Razorbacks’ 87-43 victory over Missouri on Jan. 12 started a nine game winning streak for Eric Musselman’s team. Though that run was snapped with a 68-67 loss at Alabama last Saturday, Arkansas has regained its footing as one of the top teams in the league. Arkansas sits in fourth place behind Tennessee, Kentucky and Auburn, and the team is projected as a 5-seed in the latest NCAA Tournament bracketology from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. On Monday, the Razorbacks got back into the AP Poll for the first time since Dec. 13 at No. 23. KenPom ranks Arkansas No. 22.
About Missouri (10-14, 4-7 SEC): For the first time all season, the Tigers have won two of their last three games in conference play. They defeated Texas A&M on the road, 70-66, lost to Vanderbilt on the road, 70-62, and most recently escaped with a 74-68 win over Ole Miss last Saturday. Mizzou currently sits at 11th place in the SEC with seven games left on the schedule. A lot could change between now and the end of the regular season though, as just two games separate fifth place Alabama (6-6) from 12th place Texas A&M (4-8). KenPom ranks Missouri No. 129.
Projected lineups
P | No. | Arkansas | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 1 | JD Notae | 6-2 | Sr. | 18.8 |
G | 5 | Au’Diese Toney | 6-6 | Sr. | 10.8 |
G | 0 | Stanley Umude | 6-6 | Gr. | 10.9 |
F | 3 | Trey Wade | 6-6 | Sr. | 3.3 |
F | 10 | Jaylin Williams | 6-10 | So. | 10.0 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 5 | “Boogie” Coleman | 6-5 | Jr. | 9.5 |
G | 4 | Javon Pickett | 6-5 | Sr. | 9.9 |
G | 12 | DaJuan Gordon | 6-3 | Jr. | 8.8 |
F | 23 | Trevon Brazile | 6-9 | Fr. | 5.6 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-8 | Jr. | 12.9 |
Prediction
The last time these two teams played was ugly for Missouri.
The Tigers lost by 44 points in a downright embarrassing performance. They turned the ball over 23 times, leading to 26 points off turnovers for the Razorbacks, were outscored in the paint 44-22, allowed 20 second chance points and only got two points of production from the bench. The shooting was dreadful too: 29.2% from the field and 12.5% on three-pointers.
It’s hard to imagine history repeating itself in the second matchup, especially since the game will be at Mizzou Arena, but I still don’t see the Tigers getting a win here.
Arkansas has only gotten better since that first contest and its defense should give Missouri problems. In conference play, the Razorbacks lead the SEC in defensive efficiency rating and are one of the top two teams in the league in opponent effective field goal percentage (45.5%), three-point percentage (29.6%) and two-point percentage (46.1%), per KenPom.
The Tigers are likely to be short handed in Tuesday night’s game as well. Center Jordan Wilmore remains out with a back injury while freshmen Anton Brookshire (wrist) and Yaya Keita (knee) weren’t available last game. That leaves Mizzou with eight available players.
KenPom gives Missouri a 28% chance to win and the ESPN BPI has the odds at 17.8%.
Arkansas 77, Missouri 61
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
