Mizzou Tigers hunting for 4th straight SEC win as Texas Longhorns roll into town
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mizzou seeks fourth straight win at home after road win at Texas A&M.
- Texas arrives with mixed Quad 1 résumé and leaders Dailyn Swain, Matas Vokietaitis.
- Both teams rank near bubble; outcomes affect Last Four In projections for NCAA field.
As the clock wound down in Wednesday night’s road game against Texas A&M, the Missouri Tigers men’s basketball team let loose a bit.
Yes, beating one of the top teams in the Southeastern Conference was something to relish. But the implications of the victory — with March looming — was another reason to celebrate.
Mizzou has been sitting on the slippery slope of the NCAA Tournament bubble, but things changed after beating the Aggies. MU collected its second consecutive road win and third straight victory for the first time in conference play this season.
The Tigers, for now, seem to have tamed the road blues that dogged them previously against Ole Miss, LSU and Alabama.
Now, with better positioning on the bubble, they head back to Mizzou Arena to take on Texas in a Valentine’s Day special. The sold-out game starts at 7:30 p.m.
The Longhorns’ position is not unlike Mizzou’s. They have three wins and three losses in Quad 1 conference play. They have defeated Alabama, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma but have fallen to Kentucky, Auburn and Tennessee.
Wins over then-ranked Alabama and Vanderbilt, as well as other nonconference Quad 1 victories, project Texas will be one of the Last Four In — meaning the Longhorns could potentially have to play in one of the First Four games.
Mizzou has some big Quad 1 SEC wins, too, including its most recent over A&M. Thanks to that outcome, the Tigers have moved into the final spot in the “Last Four In” projection, according to ESPN bracketologists. And now MU has the opportunity to take down two quality foes in the span of a week.
Against Texas, MU will specifically have to watch out for junior guard Dailyn Swain. He’s the leading scorer and rebounder for the Longhorns, averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Next in line is 7-foot center Matas Vokietaitis, with 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per night. Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope are also scoring in double figures, averaging 13.4 and 12.5 points, respectively.
Senior Mark Mitchell continues to lead the Tigers in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game. He also leads Mizzou in rebounds, with 5.7 per outing, while center Shawn Phillips Jr. sits right behind him with 5.3 and graduate Jayden Stone averages 5.0.
Stone is also averaging double figures in scoring. The second-best producer for the Tigers, he is currently averaging 14.8 points per game, while fellow sharpshooters Jacob Crews and Trent Pierce average 10.5 and 10.2, respectively.
The Tigers will look to pick up their fourth consecutive win when they play host to Texas at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
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