Tiger Tipoff Preview: Georgia

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A week ago, Missouri was riding high. The Tigers had just handed Alabama its first loss of the season in league play and vaulted into the top 10 of both the AP and Coaches' polls. Since then, however, the Tigers have lost two straight, getting blowing out at Ole Miss and then falling short in overtime against Arkansas.

Missouri will look to get back on track with a pair of road trips this week, the first being to Georgia. The Bulldogs started SEC play 0-4, then looked like they might have turned the corner. They won five out of seven games, including three in a row at one point, before crashing back to earth with a pair of losses to Tennessee and Alabama last week. Missouri will be shorthanded for the matchup, however. Senior center Jeremiah Tilmon, who has averaged 13.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game during conference play, will miss his second game in a row as he takes a leave of absence due to a death in his family.

Here's everything you need to know to get set for the matchup.

Missouri (13-5) at Georgia (12-8)

WHEN: 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Georgia

TV: SEC Network

RADIO: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Chris Gervino)

SERIES: Missouri leads 8-7

KenPom Prediction: Missouri 79-76

1. Get out and run, but take care of the ball. Missouri has completed its transformation from a plodding offense to a team that actually scores the ball better when it can push the pace. That will be especially important with Tilmon missing from the halfcourt offense. There should be plenty of opportunities to do so against Georgia. The Bulldogs play at the 15th-fastest pace of any team in the country and haven't appeared too interested in playing defense in general for much of the season. Alabama put up 115 points on them Saturday. That said, while it would behoove Missouri to look to beat Georgia down the floor for some easy buckets, the Tigers can't get sloppy. The one thing Georgia's defense has done well this season is generate steals. The Bulldogs rank 33rd nationally in steal percentage and 38th in turnovers forced. Missouri's 11 turnovers in the first half against Arkansas represented a big reason why the Tigers weren't able to build a bigger lead with the Razorbacks shooting poorly at the outset. The Tigers need to take better care of the ball and not waste possessions Tuesday, because Georgia is capable of putting up a bunch of points.

2. Get to the rim. Missouri has been shooting the ball much better from three-point range lately, as evidenced by the team's 13-32 effort from behind the arc against Arkansas. The game marked a season high in both attempts and makes. While that may have been the most effective strategy in a matchup against a team that plays good interior defense with Tilmon out and starting power forward Kobe Brown limited, we would advise the Tigers not to fall in love with the three-point shot. Missouri has still been much more effective on the season getting the ball inside, either by drive or post-up, and those opportunities should be there against Georgia. The Bulldogs have very little in the way of a shot-blocking presence and have allowed opponents to shoot 53.1 percent from two-point range on the season. Among SEC teams, only Vanderbilt and Texas A&M have been worse. Even with Tilmon absent again, Xavier Pinson and Dru Smith need to prioritize attacking downhill and getting to the basket. The duo had success doing so against Georgia last season, each scoring 16 points in the Missouri win.

3. Stay in front of the Georgia guards. While Georgia may not defend the two-point shot well, it has been solid at converting such shots on the offensive end. The Bulldogs have shot the three at a rate nearly identical to Missouri this season, but they've been good inside the arc, making 53.2 percent of two-point field goals. The Bulldogs typically get those looks through penetration by guards Sahvir Wheeler and K.D. Johnson. Wheeler stands just 5-foot-10, but he averages nearly 10 two-point attempts per game. Johnson, a former four-star recruit who had to sit out Georgia's first 10 games of the season while the NCAA ruled on his eligibility, has scored more than 20 points in consecutive games. The Bulldogs also have an adept big man in Toumani Camara who makes it difficult to help onto one of the guards. To put it kindly, Missouri's one-on-one defense has been spotty lately, as the Tigers have allowed their opponent to score more than 80 points in four of the past six games.

Being without Tilmon hurts Missouri on both ends of the floor. But if this is a team with legitimate aspirations to be a top-four seed in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, it should be able to beat Georgia without him. It's a favorable matchup for Missouri's offense, with Georgia lacking much interior defense and likely to provide plenty of opportunities in transition. And while Georgia has played in a lot of shootouts, a higher-scoring game actually should benefit Missouri. The Bulldogs are 11-0 when its opponents score 75 points or fewer and are 1-8 when they score 83 or more. As long as the Tigers can keep the Georgia guards from getting into a rhythm and limit the Bulldogs' second-chance opportunities — two things that should be manageable as long as the team takes the floor with a sense of urgency — we like the Tigers' chances to end their two-game skid.

FINAL SCORE: Missouri 84, Georgia 75