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 Vanderbilt.
OFF THE BENCH: Three of Vandy's five starters played at least 31 minutes against Texas A&M on Saturday. All played at least 21. Bryce Drew largely uses a three-man bench. Joe Toye, Maxwell Evans and Ejike Obinna all played between 14 and 16 minutes against the Aggies. Sixty-eight of the Commodores 81 points game from the starting five.
OFF THE BENCH: Jordan Geist will be the backcourt reserve. He averages 25 minutes per game and will play the vast majority of the second half. Up front, Jontay Porter plays 24 minutes per game and is looking to bounce back from a rough night against Kentucky (as are most of the Tigers). Reed Nikko will provide some minutes, especially in the first half. The question is whether this is the night Mizzou gets Michael Porter Jr. back. It is unknown if or how much Porter will play against the Commodores.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Dominate down low. Vanderbilt has only one man in the rotation (Ejike Obinna) bigger than 6-foot-8. This is the night Jontay Porter and Jeremiah Tilmon need to show up and be assertive. They'll have a chance to have big nights. Missouri has to feed them and run the offense through them, thus freeing up some open shots for Jordan Barnett and Kassius Robertson.
2. Find the shooters. Missouri has been torched by outside shooters from Ole Miss and Kentucky the last two games (two teams that didn't shoot it well prior to facing the Tigers). Against the Wildcats, the inside game was so strong that the Tigers were willing to give up the jumper to some extent. It was a sound strategy that didn't work. But Vandy doesn't have the inside presence Kentucky does. The Tigers need to find Jeff Roberson and Riley LaChance, both of whom shoot better than 40% from three-point range. The Commodores have been very good shooting at home this season. If they're pouring in threes, Missouri could find itself on the wrong side of a crippling loss.
3. Play the final four of each half. Much has been made of Missouri's inability to close in the final four minutes of a game. But they haven't been a whole lot better toward the end of the first half. Mizzou was tied at 26 with Kentucky. The Cats then scored seven straight. They also went on a 7-1 run to end the half. All told, it was 18-6 UK after the game was tied. Mizzou was never close again. The game before, Ole Miss scored on the final possession of the half to take momentum into the locker room. If each half were 16 minutes long, Missouri might be a top 15 team. As it is, they've got to find a way to play 40 minutes.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
TIPOFF: 6:00 p.m. Central
TELEVISION: ESPN2/WatchESPN
RADIO: The game will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network. For a list of affiliates, click here.
THE BOTTOM LINE
With two games left in the regular season, Missouri can finish anywhere from third to 11th in the Southeastern Conference. While Tiger fans have been creeping closer and closer to the edge of the cliff during the last three losses, Mizzou is still in good shape to make the NCAA Tournament. That will change if the Tigers lose this one. By hook or by crook, Missouri needs to come back from Nashville a winner. They'll find a way to get it done.
PREDICTION: Missouri 71, Vanderbilt 67
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jeremiah Tilmon has been an offensive focal point when he's been on the floor lately. That continues with Tilmon scoring 14 and grabbing six rebounds to pace the Tigers.
