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 for tonight's first-round SEC tournament matchup against Georgia.
OFF THE BENCH: One question mark in this game for Missouri will be the health of Javon Pickett, who sat out of the team's last game due to back pain. We anticipate Pickett trying to give it a go Wednesday, and if that is the case, he could return to the starting lineup. He's started 28 games this year. However, it would seem to make more sense to bring him off the bench and give a starting spot to the red-hot Torrence Watson. Watson has scored at least 12 points in four consecutive games and has shot 56.3 percent from three-point range during that span. Ronnie Suggs will also be available to provide depth in the backcourt.
Down low, expect Mitchell Smith to see a fairly even timeshare with Kevin Puryear. Smith started when Missouri played at Georgia last week and played well, grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds. Cuonzo Martin likes the matchup of Smith against Bulldog forward Nicolas Claxton. Reed Nikko has provided consistent minutes in backing up Jeremiah Tilmon all year.
OFF THE BENCH: Georgia is down to seven players who see consistent minutes due to a season-ending foot injury for second-leading scorer Rayshaun Hammonds. Tyree Crump, who is averaging more than 20 minutes of playing time per game on the year, will be the first man off the bench in the backcourt. E'Torrian Wildridge is the only reserve who sees regular playing time in the frontcourt.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
TIPOFF: 6 p.m.
LOCATION: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
TELEVISION: SEC Network/WatchESPN
RADIO: The game will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network. For a list of affiliates, click here.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Contain Claxton. Without Hammonds, Georgia's roster simply doesn't have many players who can score. The Bulldogs have mustered just 86 points combined in their last two games. But the one player with the talent to keep pace with Missouri if he gets hot is Claxton. The sophomore forward has recorded eight double-doubles this season and has topped 20 points three times. He can use his 6-foot-11 frame to score inside but can also step out and knock down three-pointers. If he gets going, it will open up opportunities for the rest of Georgia's offense. Look for Martin to use Smith, who has more length than Kevin Puryear, to try to frustrate Claxton, and to provide help when he gets the ball in the post.
2. Crash the boards. There were a lot of missed shots to be rebounded in Missouri's first matchup against Georgia. The two teams combined to start the game 0-28 from three-point range, and Georgia ended up shooting just 25.5 percent from the floor. Missouri was able to cruise to a comfortable win because it dominated Georgia in cleaning up those misses. The Tigers out-rebounded the Bulldogs 46-27. Thirteen of those rebounds came on the offensive end. Georgia coach Tom Crean admitted on the SEC coaches' teleconference Monday that his team didn't match Missouri's physicality last week, but he believes it has responded well. If the Tigers are able to achieve a similar rebounding disparity in this matchup, the result will likely be similar.
3. Don't look ahead. The beauty of college basketball is that, even a week before Selection Sunday, nearly every team still technically has a chance to play its way into the postseason. Missouri's odds are slim — no team has ever won five games in five days at the SEC Tournament — but not yet impossible. The danger of that hope is that the Tigers could start to peek past a matchup with a Bulldog team it just beat by 25 points to what would be a second-round matchup against Auburn. Martin warned about the dangers of looking ahead Monday. He was spot-on in saying that these conference tournament games are often determined more by which team cares more than which has more talent. “Who’s one foot out the door? Who’s ready to go home for spring break?” Martin said. “... It just matters on who’s ready to play.”
While this season hasn't gone as planned, Missouri has at least demonstrated a willingness to focus and fight all season. Georgia, on the other hand has not shown a ton of urgency lately, losing its past two games by a combined 45 points. But the Tigers don't have enough of a talent advantage to come out flat Wednesday or start looking ahead to Thursday.
THE BOTTOM LINE
After mustering just 39 points against Missouri a week ago, expect Georgia to show a bit more fight this time around. However, with Hammonds out of the lineup, Georgia hasn't shown the ability to score enough points or the willpower to battle a motivated opponent in recent games. As long as it doesn't have a disastrous shooting night or turn the ball over 15-plus times, Missouri should extend its season past Wednesday.
Prediction: Missouri 68, Georgia 61
Player of the game: Torrence Watson stays hot, making three three-pointers and scoring 13 points for Missouri.
