Missouri intentionally wanted to challenge itself more this season. Last year, the Tigers didn’t face a Quad 1 or 2 team in the NET rankings until the end of November, taking on Wichita State in their eighth contest. This year, they’re facing one in the first week of the season, hosting the Memphis Tigers.
Memphis is coming off back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament and is expected to be one of the top teams in the new-look American Athletic Conference. Mizzou might be catching the team at a good time, though.
Head coach Penny Hardaway won’t be in attendance for the matchup as he serves a three-game suspension for recruiting infractions. Assistant coach Rick Stansbury, formerly a head coach at Western Kentucky and Mississippi State, will take over on the sideline. Memphis also has an almost entirely new roster, bringing in eight transfers and four freshmen.
It’ll be the first time the Tigers have played each other since March 26, 2009 — Mizzou came away with a 102-91 win in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Missouri should also be familiar with some of Memphis’ newcomers, having faced former Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly and former Wichita State wing Jaykwon Walton last year. Mizzou associate head coach Charlton “C.Y.” Young also previously coached Memphis transfer guard Caleb Mills while the two were at Florida State during the 2021-22 season.
While this game alone won’t make or break either team’s season, it’ll be a good chance for the sides to measure themselves against a quality opponent early on in the year.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
Missouri (1-0) vs. Memphis (1-0)
WHEN: 8 p.m. CT
WHERE: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
SERIES: Memphis leads, 7-5
KENPOM PREDICTION: Missouri 81, Memphis 80
PROJECTED STARTERS
BY THE NUMBERS
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Win the turnover battle. Hardaway gives his players a lot of freedom, wanting each one to be themselves on the court. While it often instills confidence, it also historically leads to Memphis being a bit too loose with the ball — in five seasons as a head coach, Hardaway’s teams have ranked outside the top 250 in offensive turnover percentage four times according to Kenpom. Memphis coughed the ball up 16 times in its season opener against Jackson State on Monday, seven of the turnovers coming from JSU steals. However, Memphis came out on top in the turnover margin by swiping 15 steals itself, forcing 23 JSU giveaways. Mizzou will need to force takeaways on defense to keep Memphis out of rhythm while being protective of the ball on the opposite end of the floor. Keeping a positive assist-to-turnover ratio will be crucial for the hosts.
2. Protect the paint. Missouri will be without 7-foot-5 big man Connor Vanover for the next two games due to his participation in the Portsmouth Invitational this offseason, leaving the team without its premier rim protector. Without Vanover, the black and gold struggled at times to ward Arkansas-Pine Bluff off from the lane — sophomore forward Aidan Shaw did seem to figure things out, though, rejecting four shots in the second half after picking up just one block in the first. Memphis went 11-for-28 from the 3-point line against JSU on Monday, but Hardaway’s teams almost always prefer to use their athleticism to get to the hoop. Last season, 2-pointers accounted for 56.8% of Memphis’ points, ranking 27th in the nation, with free throws accounting for another 20.0%. Keeping the visitors confined to the perimeter might be Mizzou’s best course of action.
3. Be prepared for a shootout. Both teams enjoy playing in an up-tempo offense. Memphis ranked 22nd in the country averaging 71.1 possessions per game while Missouri ranked 102nd averaging 68.7 possessions. Memphis scored 94 points in its season opener — Mizzou scored 101. Both teams also have the depth to play at the breakneck pace. Memphis played nine different players for at least nine minutes in their game on Monday. Missouri had nine players do the same against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Friday’s matchup should be a high-scoring affair.
PREDICTION
If there were ever a good time to play Memphis, it’d be while the team hasn’t had much time to gel and won’t have their head coach around to keep everyone organized. The squad Missouri plays this week likely won’t be the same come March. I think the teams would be pretty evenly matched on a neutral court, so I’ll give the hosts a slight edge. I’ve got Mizzou winning 88-82.
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