Three-minute preview: Missouri men’s basketball at No. 20 Kentucky
Missouri at No. 20 Kentucky
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 24 | Kevin Puryear | 6-7 | Fr. | 11.5 |
F | 44 | Ryan Rosburg | 6-10 | Sr. | 4.6 |
G | 1 | Terrence Phillips | 5-11 | Fr. | 7.9 |
G | 12 | Namon Wright | 6-5 | So. | 8.6 |
G | 15 | Wes Clark | 6-0 | Jr. | 10.4 |
P | No. | Kentucky | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 22 | Alex Poythress | 6-8 | Sr. | 9.8 |
F | 35 | Derek Willis | 6-9 | Jr. | 6.2 |
G | 3 | Tyler Ulis | 5-9 | So. | 15.3 |
G | 13 | Isaiah Briscoe | 6-3 | Fr. | 9.9 |
G | 23 | Jamal Murray | 6-4 | Fr. | 17.8 |
▪ WHEN/WHERE: 8 p.m. Wednesday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
▪ TV/RADIO: SEC Network; KMBZ (98.1 FM)
▪ ABOUT MISSOURI (8-11, 1-5 SEC): Senior forward Ryan Rosburg has emerged as the Tigers’ second-best forward behind freshman Kevin Puryear. Rosburg is shooting a whopping 65.0 percent from the field, including 86.4 percent in SEC play on 19 of 22 shooting. Missouri lost 86-37 at Kentucky last season, the third-worst loss in program history. Rosburg said it serves as a warning about the need to be prepared and play with poise. Coach Kim Anderson said he’ll remind the Tigers of the game only as an appeal to their competitive nature.
▪ ABOUT KENTUCKY (15-4, 5-2 SEC): In the wake of a stunning loss Jan. 16 at Auburn, the Wildcats committed only 13 combined turnovers last week in wins at Arkansas and against Vanderbilt. Kentucky inserted junior forward Derek Willis into the starting lineup for the last two games. He responded by averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, while complementing senior Alex Poythress well in the front court. Still, it’s the talented young guards led by sophomore Tyler Ulis along with freshmen Jamal Murray and Isaiah Briscoe that drive coach John Calipari’s Cats.
Tod Palmer: 816-234-4389, @todpalmer
This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 2:23 PM with the headline "Three-minute preview: Missouri men’s basketball at No. 20 Kentucky."