Prior to each Mizzou hoops game this season, we will get Tiger fans set with The Starting Five. In this feature, we'll give you the anticipated starting lineups for each team, break down keys to a Missouri win and offer up a prediction.
Here is the breakdown of tonight's game against No. 1 Tennessee.
OFF THE BENCH: Torrence Watson has played well the last few games and gotten his feet under him offensively. He'll be the primary backup in the backcourt. If Mark Smith can go, which seems unlikely, he starts and Pinson comes off the bench. Without Smith, Ronnie Suggs will get the remainder of the minutes at guard. In the frontcourt, Reed Nikko is likely to be the first man off the bench, but either Mitchell Smith or K.J. Santos probably sees more minutes depending on who is playing well.
OFF THE BENCH: The Vols aren't that deep. They'll play three guys off the bench double digit minutes. The biggest contributor is Jordan Bowden, a great athlete who can shoot it too. Bowden averages 11.2 points per game, one of five Vols in double figures. Yves Pons and John Fulkerson are minutes-eaters off the bench for Rick Barnes. Barnes doesn't play a ton of guys, but the ones he plays are all very effective.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
TIPOFF: 8:00 p.m. Central
TELEVISION: ESPN2/WatchESPN
RADIO: The game will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network. For a list of affiliates, click here.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Give yourself a chance. Tennessee is the top ranked team in the country and has won 16 straight games. The Vols beat Mizzou by 24 a few weeks ago and are coasting through SEC play. Missouri's got to survive the first half and give itself some sort of a shot going into the final ten minutes.
2. Get shots and make them. Elementary, we know. But the Tigers don't get a lot of shots because they turn the ball over too much. Missouri has to limit the turnovers, probably to single digits, to have any sort of a chance on Tuesday night. And then they're going to have to shoot it very well, especially from three-point range.
3. Play perfect. This is really the only key. Missouri has to play its best game. And it needs Tennessee to play something less than its best game. In that case, the Tigers might have a shot. On the entire schedule, this is the toughest game the Tigers have. It's going to take a perfect storm.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It takes a pretty big leap to convince yourself Missouri can make a game of this one, much less win it. The Vols are just better at every position. If there's a recipe for Missouri, they catch the Vols looking past them, keep Tilmon on the floor and effective and hit at least a dozen three-pointers. At that point, maybe things get interesting. But the truth is, Barnes has had this team focused and on a mission all season. Even when they haven't been fully locked in, they've won. That seems pretty likely again.
PREDICTION: Tennessee 91, Missouri 65
PLAYER OF THE GAME: We'll give the nod to Torrence Watson, who goes for a career-high 15 off the bench for Missouri.
