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 todays game against Texas A&M.
OFF THE BENCH: Xavier Pinson will relieve Geist at the point. Cuonzo Martin said after the loss to Alabama the Tigers needed more out of Pinson to allow Geist to play off the ball more. Torrence Watson is the other backcourt reserve and has shown much more aggression offensively the last couple of games. K.J. Santos is the first reserve off the bench in the front court. His minutes continue to increase and he has shown flashes of being able to help. Reed Nikko will get most of the minutes behind Tilmon with Mitchell Smith filling in. We saw Ronnie Suggs briefly against the Tide, but don't expect that to become a trend.
OFF THE BENCH: Billy Kennedy will play nine players double digit minutes. Brandon Mahan is a 35% three-point shooter off the Aggie bench. Josh Nebo is the leading scorer and rebounder (7.8 and 5.2) among Aggie reserves. John Walker and Chris Collins will also see time for the Aggies in reserve roles.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Keep Tilmon on the floor. This is the first key for every game. He got about halfway there against Alabama. Tilmon picked up two fouls in eight minutes and was tentative the rest of the first half. But in the second half, he didn't pick up another foul and did find some aggressiveness, scoring eight points and grabbing a handful of rebounds. The Aggies don't start a player taller than 6-8 and don't play one bigger than 6-9. They play three guards and a wing. This is a game where Tilmon can be a force down low...if he stays out of foul trouble and is available.
2. Win the battle on the glass. Despite the fact they aren't big, A&M rebounds the ball pretty well. They've got three players averaging at least two offensive rebounds per game and Flagg is averaging eight boards per night at 6-foot-7. The matchup between him and Santos/Puryear could be a big indicator of which team gains the edge.
3. Avoid the long drought. Missouri finds a five-minute period in every game in which it just can't score. It's often been the closing minutes of the first half. It came earlier against Alabama, but once again contributed to Missouri digging a double-figure hole that it just could not escape. Missouri hasn't played from ahead a whole lot this year. You'd have to think it will help the Tigers' confidence to do so.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
TIPOFF: 2:30 p.m. Central
TELEVISION: SEC Network/WatchESPN
RADIO: The game will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network. For a list of affiliates, click here.
THE BOTTOM LINE
This is a game Missouri should expect to win. The Aggies' only conference win came on a last-second miracle against Alabama. They're just 7-8 overall with losses to UC-Irvine, Minnesota (which was blown out by Illinois last week) and Texas Southern (by 15). If Mizzou doesn't win this one, they're staring at 0-7 in SEC play and no easy end in sight to this losing streak. That said, it's tough to pick Missouri to win a game in this league, especially on the road. Martin said after the Alabama game that the Tigers have a very thin margin for error. To win games in this league, they've got to play well and do it for most of the night. We haven't seen that happen in a couple of weeks.
PREDICTION: Texas A&M 70, Missouri 67
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Mark Smith is Missouri's main offensive threat with 18 points including four three-pointers. But it isn't enough to keep the Tigers from 0-4 in SEC play.
