Mizzou Tigers men’s basketball vs. Mississippi State: Prediction, time, TV, lineups
The details
When: 7 p.m. Central time Sunday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Betting line: Mississippi State by 5
About Mississippi State (15-11, 6-7 SEC): The Bulldogs had lost four consecutive games and seven of their last nine before facing Missouri — and getting a 68-49 win — on Friday night. Head coach Ben Howland’s squad remains off the NCAA Tournament bubble and is in must-win territory to have a shot to get back there. Though it won’t count as a top-tier victory, getting a win on Sunday is crucial for Mississippi State, which is 0-7 on the road this season. KenPom ranks Mississippi State No. 40.
About Missouri (10-16, 4-9 SEC): The Tigers have lost three of their last four contests. They now sit at a season-low six games below .500 and are in 12th place in the SEC, only ahead of Mississippi and Georgia. Head coach Cuonzo Martin’s squad had improved its offense in league play, but that has regressed over the last two games. Mizzou was held to 36.8% shooting from the field and 29.4% from three-point range in a loss to Arkansas, followed by marks of 31.4% and 17.6% in the first matchup with Mississippi State. KenPom ranks Missouri No. 143.
Projected lineups
P | No. | Mississippi State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 1 | Iverson Molinar | 6-3 | Jr. | 18.3 |
G | 5 | Cam Carter | 6-3 | Fr. | 2.8 |
F | 13 | D.J. Jeffries | 6-7 | Jr. | 10.0 |
F | 10 | Garrison Brooks | 6-9 | Gr. | 11.3 |
F | 35 | Tolu Smith | 6-11 | R-Jr. | 12.2 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 4 | Javon Pickett | 6-5 | Sr. | 10.0 |
G | 12 | DaJuan Gordon | 6-3 | Jr. | 8.8 |
F | 21 | Ronnie DeGray III | 6-6 | So. | 8.3 |
F | 23 | Trevon Brazile | 6-9 | Fr. | 5.7 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-8 | Jr. | 12.5 |
Prediction
Missouri and Mississippi State meet for the second time in less than 48 hours, this time at Mizzou Arena.
If the Tigers want to get a win here they’ll need to do a significantly better job down low on both sides of the floor. They were outscored 34-20 in the paint and allowed the Bulldogs’ forwards to combine for 51 points in that first matchup. Having a better shooting performance would obviously help too.
Mizzou could also benefit from a better showing from Kobe Brown, who only had eight points on 3-of-10 shooting on Friday night. The team is 0-12 when the junior forward is held to single-digit scoring.
KenPom gives Missouri a 32% chance to win while the ESPN BPI has the odds at 17.8%.
Mississippi State 67, Missouri 56
This story was originally published February 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
