Mizzou will look to rebound from its first loss of the season on Saturday when it takes on UCF in the AutoNation Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.

The Golden Knights have been impressive through their first 10 games of the year, picking up wins over a trio of high majors in Florida State, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. Their two losses of the season came by a combined margin of five points. The early indications point to head coach Johnny Dawkins having his best team since 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall graduated from the program in 2019.

Though the game is technically being played at a neutral site, UCF fans have a much shorter distance to travel, making it more of a semi-away matchup for the Tigers. Missouri will need to be at its best to take down the Golden Knights.

“We're expecting a great game against a really solid opponent,” freshman forward Aidan Shaw said. “So we're really just looking forward to playing them and getting a bounce-back game.”

Missouri (9-1) vs. UCF (8-2)

WHEN: 11 a.m. CT

WHERE: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida

TV: Bally Sports

SERIES: Missouri leads, 2-0

KENPOM PREDICTION: UCF 73, Missouri 71

1. Don’t let UCF get set on defense. The Golden Knights stifled Ole Miss on Wednesday, opening the game in a 2-1-2 press. The Rebels missed all nine of their first field goal attempts and fell behind 21-0 eight minutes into the first half. As the 12th-slowest team in the country, according to KenPom, UCF prefers to make its opponents work through long possessions to find an open look — something Mizzou has struggled with at times this season, especially against Kansas last week. Beating the Golden Knights’ defense down the floor and taking advantage of transition opportunities will be crucial for the Tigers’ offense to remain efficient.

2. Make UCF give the ball up. Turnovers were one of the major missing ingredients for Mizzou against Kansas last weekend, with the Jayhawks only coughing the ball up 14 times to the Tigers’ 21. The Golden Knights haven’t been as good at taking care of the ball, turning it over on 21.6% of their possessions, which ranks 309th in the nation per KenPom. Staying disruptive on defense should also help with keeping UCF from walling up on the other end. Similar to Missouri’s game against Wichita State, the Tigers will need to play at a pace that’s more suitable to them than the Golden Knights. Earning extra possessions and pushing the ball ahead in the fast break will go a long way toward that.

3. Keep a hand up on shooters. The Tigers sacrificed too many wide-open shots to Kansas, who went 10-22 from beyond the arc in last week’s game. UCF has established itself as one of the better-shooting teams in the country, canning 36.9% of their treys. Freshman forward Taylor Hendricks has been one of the team’s standouts on offense, becoming the leading scorer and sinking 48.8% of his 3-pointers on 4.1 attempts per game. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native was ranked No. 64 in his class, but is now beginning to receive NBA Draft buzz — Hendricks checked in at No. 21 on Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated’s Big Board released on Wednesday. Containing Hendricks and the team’s other shooters will be one of Missouri’s biggest challenges.

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