Tiger Tip-Off Preview: SIU Edwardsville
Mizzou takes on SIU Edwardsville on Tuesday, seeking out its fourth consecutive victory.
The Cougars won their season opener against NAIA challenger Harris Stowe, 85-57, but fell in their first road game against Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday, 81-76. They'll be looking to bounce back against the Tigers.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
Missouri (3-0) vs. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (1-1)
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network+
SERIES: 3-0, Missouri
KENPOM PREDICTION: Mizzou 86, SIU Edwardsville 66
PROJECTED STARTERS
| Player | Class | Height | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Damarco "Polo" Minor |
SO |
6-0 |
16.0 |
2.0 |
5.5 |
|
Ray'Sean Taylor |
R-SO |
6-1 |
10.0 |
5.0 |
1.5 |
|
Shamar Wright |
R-JR |
6-7 |
10.0 |
7.0 |
2.0 |
|
DeeJuan Pruitt |
R-SO |
6-8 |
13.5 |
7.0 |
1.5 |
|
Jonathan Kurtas |
SO |
6-10 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
0.5 |
| Player | Class | Height | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nick Honor |
GR |
5-10 |
12.3 |
2.7 |
3.7 |
|
D'Moi Hodge |
GR |
6-4 |
12.3 |
3.0 |
0.7 |
|
DeAndre Gholston |
GR |
6-5 |
8.7 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
|
Noah Carter |
SR |
6-6 |
16.7 |
6.0 |
1.7 |
|
Kobe Brown |
SR |
6-8 |
13.7 |
7.7 |
4.0 |
BY THE NUMBERS
| Mizzou | Category | SIUE |
|---|---|---|
|
90.3 |
PPG |
80.5 |
|
76.3 |
Opponent PPG |
69.0 |
|
49.2 |
FG% |
51.2 |
|
34.4 |
3PT% |
31.6 |
|
74.2 |
FT% |
69.7 |
|
1.7 |
REB Margin |
5.0 |
|
1.8 |
AST/TO Ratio |
0.9 |
|
26 |
Offensive Efficiency Rank |
391 |
|
90 |
Defensive Efficiency Rank |
251 |
|
65 |
Tempo Rank |
40 |
|
300 |
Strength of Schedule Rank |
149 |
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Slow down the Cougars’ guards. Minor was the NJCAA Division II Player of the Year at South Suburban College as a freshman last year and hasn’t had any hiccups since making the leap to NCAA Division I, currently leading SIUE in point and assists. And though Taylor hasn’t shown it yet this season, he may be the team’s best offensive player, averaging 17.6 points a game last year and getting voted to the Preseason All-OVC Team. Minor and Taylor both excel at finding driving lanes to the rim, but neither are lethal shooting threats — the Cougars are only shooting 31.6% from deep as a team. Keeping both players contained to the perimeter will be important for the Tigers.
2. Match SIUE’s pace. The Cougars play similarly to Mizzou in a few ways, but most notably, they like to play fast. Both teams currently rank in the top 70 of KenPom’s adjusted tempo ranking, described as “possessions per 40 minutes (adjusted for opponents)." The Tigers may be able to find the edge in generating turnovers. SIUE gave the ball up 15.1 times per game last year. Two games into this season, the Cougars are averaging … 15.0 turnovers per game. Gaining extra possessions should allow Missouri to dictate the speed it wants to play at.
3. Don’t let the fatigue set in. This will be the Tigers’ third game in five days. It’s their busiest stretch of the regular season. There are numerous obstacles to clear to be ready for a new game twice in 48 hours — debriefing the game you just played, letting your body recover as much as possible and preparing for the next without a full session of practice. Head coach Dennis Gates said he doesn’t want himself or his players to focus on any games other than the one that’s in front of them and charged assistant coach Dickey Nutt with getting the scouting report together for SIUE. Gates also said, rather than a live practice, the team would do a walkthrough to prepare for the Cougars.
Mizzou pulled off two wins in three nights on their first try. Now Gates is hoping his team can do it again.
“These moments like this will hopefully prepare us when those days come and we're playing three straight days,” Gates said after Sunday's win over Lindenwood. “You guys know that that happens in tournament season, but also, in the NCAA tournament, playing two games in three days. We gotta find out who we are in those moments.”
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