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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 Mississippi.

OFF THE BENCH: Missouri will hope Mark Smith can finally return from an ankle injury he suffered Jan. 23 against Arkansas. If he does not return to the starting lineup, Torrence Watson will likely take his place. Watson has played well over the past two weeks. Watson is averaging 8.4 points per game across the last five contests. Fellow freshman Xavier Pinson has also come on strong of late, and he would see his minutes expand if Smith cannot play. Pinson has been stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 8.9 points. 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in the past seven games. In the frontcourt, Reed Nikko will spell Jeremiah Tilmon at the center position. Mitchell Smith has worked himself into the backup spot behind Kevin Puryear at power forward, and though he has struggled lately, K.J. Santos might see some playing time as well.

OFF THE BENCH: Former Missouri recruiting target Blake Hinson missed Mississippi's win over Auburn on Wednesday due to an illness, and fellow freshman K.J. Buffen filled. Hinson is expected to return to the lineup Saturday, but Buffen will still see plenty of playing time; he's averaging 20 minutes per game this season. Bruce Stevens will also see action in the frontcourt. The 6-foot-8 sophomore has started six games this season and is averaging 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds on the year. Sophomore D.C. Davis is the only reserve who sees much action in the backcourt. Davis averages 2.7 points in 12.3 minutes per game.

TIPOFF: 2:30 p.m.

LOCATION: The Pavilion at Ole Miss, Oxford, Mississippi

TELEVISION: SEC Network/WatchESPN

RADIO: The game will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network. For a list of affiliates, click here.

1. Take care of the basketball.

You all are probably tired of reading this by now, but turnovers have been the most reliable predictor of Missouri's success all season. The Tigers are 2-8 when they commit 14 or more turnovers in a game and 10-3 when they commit 13 or fewer. Meanwhile, thanks to its quick guards, Ole Miss has been good at turning opponents over. The Rebels force an average of 7.8 steals per game, which ranks No. 35 nationally, and 14.9 turnovers per game, which checks in at No. 55. Missouri will want to keep this game as low scoring as possible — Ole Miss is a good offensive team, averaging 77.2 points per game — and the best way to do that will be to limit transition opportunities and easy baskets off turnovers for the Rebels.

2. Get hot from three.

Three-point shooting defense has been perhaps the biggest weakness for Ole Miss this season. The Rebels rank No. 279 nationally in three-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot at a 36.4 percent clip from behind the arc. Ole Miss has been especially susceptible from three in its losses this season. Its record is 3-6 in games in which its opponent shoots better than 40 percent from three, and 14-1 in all other games. Missouri has shot the ball pretty well from deep this season, but getting Mark Smith back would certainly be a boost. Smith's three-point percentage of 47.5 leads the SEC. Missouri has topped 40 percent from outside the arc eight times this season, all in games Smith has started.

3. Keep the Tilmon train rolling.

Jeremiah Tilmon is in the midst of the best stretch of his college career. He's stayed on the floor for at least 26 minutes in each of the past seven games he's played. He's averaging 13.6 points per game during that span, including a 21-point performance against Arkansas on Tuesday. The last two games offer a perfect illustration of Tilmon's value to Missouri; he didn't play against Texas A&M due to having his wisdom teeth extracted, and the Tigers struggled offensively, scoring 59 points in a loss. Then, when he played 30 minutes against Arkansas, Missouri erupted for 79 points and a win. Ole Miss' gameplan will almost certainly center around frustrating Tilmon and getting him into foul trouble early, but if Tilmon keeps doing what he's been doing the past month, he's good enough to singlehandedly keep Missouri in the game.

Ole Miss started conference play hot, then lost five times in a six-game span. In those losses, the Rebels surrendered an average of 83 points per game. They've been playing better of late, though, having won three games in a row and holding Auburn's explosive offense to 55 points on Wednesday. Missouri is going to have to score to keep up with the Rebels, and its best chances of doing that are through the three-ball and Tilmon. However, the Tigers have shown that, even if they're playing well offensively, they lack the offensive weaponry to keep up when they get turnover-happy. A likely NCAA Tournament team, Ole Miss is more talented and figures to have more to play for, but the gap between the two is not unbridgeable. If Missouri takes care of the basketball and shoots it well, it will have a chance.

Prediction: Ole Miss 76, Missouri 70

Player of the game: Tilmon continues his streak of 26-plus minute games, logging 16 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes.