Missouri extended its season at least one day by beating Ole Miss 72-60 in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday. The Tigers have definitively proven that they are better than the two worst teams in the conference, having now beaten Ole Miss and Georgia a combined four times.
The test gets quite a bit more challenging Thursday.
Missouri will face an LSU team that beat it by 20 points less than three weeks ago. LSU, which leads the nation in steals, tortured Missouri with its pressure in that matchup, forcing turnovers on 27.9 percent of its possessions.
Cuonzo Martin expressed confidence Wednesday that Missouri will be better prepared to face LSU's pressure the second time around, having recently experienced it firsthand. Even if that's the case, his team will still have its hands full trying to slow down an LSU offense that features four players averaging more than 10 points per game, including Mizzou transfer Xavier Pinson.
Here is everything you need to know about the matchup.
                     TIP TIME INFORMATION
Missouri (12-20) vs. LSU (21-10)
WHEN: 1 p.m. (30 minutes after the conclusion of Florida-Texas A&M)
WHERE: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
TV: SEC Network
RADIO: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Chris Gervino)
SERIES: LSU leads 10-2
KenPom Prediction: LSU 71-60
                    THE STARTING LINEUPS
                         BY THE NUMBERS
                    MIZZOU KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Take care of the ball. By far the biggest issue in Missouri's loss to LSU on Feb. 26 was the turnovers. Missouri turned the ball over 11 times in the first half and 19 times in the game. Point guard Boogie Coleman accounted for seven of those giveaways. LSU scored 25 points off Missouri turnovers. If Missouri doesn't find an answer to LSU's on-ball pressure, it doesn't figure to have much of a chance to keep this one close. And while Martin expressed optimism that his players will do a better job of taking care of the ball after having faced LSU once, turnovers have been an issue virtually all year, regardless of the opponent. Missouri ranks 326th nationally in turnover rate.
2. Keep attacking the basket. Missouri's first-round matchup turned around when it made it a point to get the ball into the paint. The Tigers shot 13-23 in the second half in large part because they only attempted four three-pointers. They totaled 40 points in the paint. Now, the question is whether Missouri can replicate that against a team other than Ole Miss. LSU has been susceptible around the basket this season. It ranks fourth nationally in three-point defense but 96th in two-point defense. LSU can also be foul prone, as it ranks 331st in free throw attempts allowed per field goal attempt. Considering Missouri's season-long three-point shooting woes, the Tigers need to try to get the ball inside every trip down the floor. The challenge in doing so will be not letting LSU's pressure disrupt the offense to the point that it is always operating late in the shot clock.
3. Play with desperation. LSU is the more talented team, as it proved rather emphatically in the first meeting. But strange things happen in March, particularly when one team knows it is a lock to make the NCAA Tournament and its opponent is trying to extend its season. Perhaps if Missouri comes out with an edge and punches LSU in the mouth, it will be able to pull off an upset.
                   POWERMIZZOU PREDICTION
Maybe Missouri actually does handle LSU's pressure better in the second matchup between the two teams. (It certainly couldn't do worse.) Maybe Kobe Brown continues his recent strong play and goes for 25 points. Maybe Mizzou comes out hungry and LSU comes out flat and it can hang around for a while or even jump out to an early lead.
Even in those best-case scenarios, it's hard to see a Missouri team that relies on just seven players to hold off a more talented opponent for a full 40 minutes. We think this is more competitive than the last time these two teams met, but Mizzou's season still comes to an end Thursday.
FINAL SCORE: LSU 69, Missouri 57
