Tiger Tip-Off Preview: Coastal Carolina
Mizzou kept its undefeated streak alive with a victory against Mississippi Valley State on Sunday. Now, the Tigers turn their attention to Coastal Carolina.
The Chanticleers began the season by picking up a pair of wins against NCAA Division III schools before getting edged out in their first game against a D1 opponent in South Carolina-Upstate on Friday, 79-78. The Sun Belt school will be looking to avoid a losing streak against Missouri.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
Missouri (5-0) vs. Coastal Carolina (2-1)
WHEN: 6 p.m.
WHERE: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network+
SERIES: 2-0, Missouri
KENPOM PREDICTION: Mizzou 84, Coastal Carolina 69
PROJECTED STARTERS
| Player | Class | Height | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Henry Abraham |
JR |
6-0 |
5.7 |
2.7 |
8.0 |
|
Jomaru Brown |
5-SR |
6-2 |
21.7 |
2.0 |
4.0 |
|
Josh Uduje |
SO |
6-5 |
12.7 |
2.3 |
1.0 |
|
Wilfried Likayi |
GR |
6-9 |
5.7 |
8.3 |
1.0 |
|
Essam Mostafa |
R-JR |
6-9 |
16.3 |
13.3 |
1.7 |
| Player | Class | Height | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nick Honor |
GR |
5-10 |
10.8 |
2.4 |
3.6 |
|
D'Moi Hodge |
GR |
6-4 |
17.0 |
4.0 |
1.4 |
|
DeAndre Gholston |
GR |
6-5 |
8.8 |
2.0 |
2.4 |
|
Noah Carter |
SR |
6-6 |
12.6 |
5.2 |
1.8 |
|
Kobe Brown |
SR |
6-8 |
12.4 |
6.2 |
3.2 |
BY THE NUMBERS
| Mizzou | Category | Coastal Carolina |
|---|---|---|
|
91.8 |
PPG |
95.0 |
|
74.2 |
Opponent PPG |
56.3 |
|
51.7 |
FG% |
56.7 |
|
35.2 |
3PT% |
42.0 |
|
76.5 |
FT% |
84.6 |
|
-0.6 |
Rebounding Margin |
19.0 |
|
1.7 |
AST/TO Ratio |
1.4 |
|
52 |
KenPom Rank |
191 |
|
23 |
Offensive Efficiency Rank |
173 |
|
106 |
Defensive Efficiency Rank |
206 |
|
39 |
Tempo Rank |
170 |
|
357 |
Strength of Schedule Rank |
314 |
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Box out Essam Mostafa. It’s much easier said than done. The Cairo, Egypt native is built like The Mountain from “Game of Thrones,” listed at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds. He’s also one of the better rebounders in the country. Mostafa has ranked in the top 100 in offensive rebounding percentage each year of his career and in the top 200 in defensive rebounding last season. He’s had double-doubles in all of the Chants’ first three games this year and is up to 25 for his career. CCU has been historically good on the glass, too, ranking in the top 50 in offensive rebounding percentage as a team in each of the past five seasons. The Tigers’ issues on the boards — which head coach Dennis Gates acknowledged as a concern on Sunday — could come to haunt them.
2. Apply pressure on the ball. Though they’ve been a strong rebounding team, the Chanticleers have also historically had trouble taking care of the ball, posting a bottom-70 turnover rate in four of the past five seasons. The team lost its first game of the season to South Carolina-Upstate in part because they gave up 12 points off of 13 turnovers. Mizzou currently ranks 12th in the NCAA forcing opponents to cough the ball up on 27.5% of possessions. That trend will need to continue against Coastal Carolina.
3. Key in on Jomaru Brown. The Eastern Kentucky transfer came out of the gates on fire in his first year with CCU and worked his way into the starting lineup after just two games. The Tigers have struggled with cooling off shooters at times during this season, such as Terry Collins lighting them up for 22 points in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Delta Devils. Brown is connecting 61.5% of his 3-pointers through his first three games — Mizzou will need to keep a hand up when guarding him.
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