Tiger Tip-Off Preview: Lindenwood
Mizzou is off to a 2-0 start after taking down Penn on Friday, 92-85. The team now turns its attention to Lindenwood, a team making its NCAA debut this year.
The Lions dropped their season opener against Dayton, falling 73-46, but picked up their first win of the year on Thursday, defeating Hannibal-LaGrange of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), 85-58. They'll be looking to stay in the win column against the Tigers.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
Missouri (2-0) vs. Lindenwood (1-1)
WHEN: 5 p.m.
WHERE: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network+
SERIES: 0-0 (First Meeting)
KENPOM PREDICTION: Mizzou 88, Lindenwood 62
PROJECTED STARTERS
| Player | Class | Height | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Kevin Caldwell Jr. |
SR |
5-11 |
14.0 |
3.0 |
4.5 |
|
Chris Childs |
SR |
6-2 |
14.5 |
4.5 |
2.0 |
|
Brandon Trimble |
SR |
6-2 |
10.0 |
2.5 |
0.5 |
|
David Ware |
JR |
6-5 |
6.0 |
6.5 |
2.5 |
|
Keenon Cole |
JR |
6-7 |
8.0 |
4.0 |
0.0 |
| Player | Class | Height | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nick Honor |
GR |
5-10 |
13.0 |
1.5 |
4.5 |
|
D'Moi Hodge |
GR |
6-4 |
14.0 |
2.5 |
1.0 |
|
DeAndre Gholston |
GR |
6-4 |
7.5 |
2.5 |
2.0 |
|
Noah Carter |
SR |
6-6 |
18.0 |
7.0 |
1.5 |
|
Kobe Brown |
SR |
6-8 |
14.0 |
7.0 |
2.5 |
BY THE NUMBERS
| Mizzou | Category | Lindenwood |
|---|---|---|
|
94.5 |
PPG |
65.5 |
|
88.0 |
Opponent PPG |
65.5 |
|
47.0 |
FG% |
39.5 |
|
36.5 |
3PT% |
34.9 |
|
74.1 |
FT% |
50.0 |
|
-1.5 |
REB Margin |
-1.0 |
|
2.0 |
AST/TO Ratio |
1.4 |
|
25 |
Offensive Efficiency Rank |
339 |
|
95 |
Defensive Efficiency Rank |
356 |
|
81 |
Tempo Rank |
169 |
|
252 |
Strength of Schedule Rank |
18 |
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Keep Lindenwood’s shooters at bay. It’s been Missouri’s biggest shortcoming through the first two games of the year: opponents are shooting 50% against the Tigers from 3. The Lions don’t have snipers across the roster like Penn did. They’re more like Southern Indiana in that they have a few flamethrowers who Mizzou can ill-afford to get hot. Senior guards Chris Childs and Brandon Trimble have both shot above 40% from deep for their careers. Senior point guard Kevin Caldwell Jr., a career 31% shooter from beyond the arc, is also off to a solid start this season, connecting on 6-16. The Tigers will need to run all three off the line to keep Lindenwood out of the game.
2. Win the rebounding battle. Mizzou was outrebounded by eight in the first half of its game against Penn, but managed to keep pace with the Quakers on the boards in the second half on Friday. Senior forward Kobe Brown went from snatching 14 rebounds in the season opener to grabbing zero in the team’s second game — it was the first time Brown had been held without a rebound since Feb. 3, 2021. The average player on Lindenwood’s roster stands 6-foot-3.6 per KenPom, which makes it the 34th shortest team in the nation. It’s one of the few teams the Tigers will actually have a size advantage against, and they’ll need to put it to good use on the glass.
3. Don’t let the Lions affect the assist-to-turnover ratio. According to KenPom Lindenwood has forced a steal on 6.0% of their defensive possessions through their first two games, which ranks top 50 in the country. Turnovers haven’t been much of an issue for Missouri so far, coughing up the ball just 13.1% of the time, a number that also ranks in the top 50. Something has to give — either Mizzou continues taking care of the rock and handing out assists, like they have on 63.5% of their field goals made this year, or the Lions continue to be disruptive defensively and slow down the Tigers’ offense.
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