Tiger Tipoff Preview: Tennessee
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Prior to each of the major non-conference games and every SEC game for the Tigers, we will post the Tiger Tipoff Preview to get you set for the matchup. Here is our preview of today's home matchup against Tennessee.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
Missouri (8-5) vs Tennessee (8-5)
WHEN: 6 p.m.
WHERE: Mizzou Arena
TV: SEC Network
RADIO: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Chris Gervino)
SERIES: Tennessee leads 8-7 (Tennessee won last season 87-63)
KenPom Prediction: Missouri 62-59
THE STARTING LINEUPS
| Player | Class | Height | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Santiago Vescovi |
FR |
6-3 |
18.0 |
6.0 |
4.0 |
|
Jordan Bowden |
SR |
6-5 |
12.2 |
4.2 |
2.7 |
|
Josiah Jordan-James |
FR |
6-6 |
7.7 |
5.9 |
2.5 |
|
Yves Pons |
JR |
6-6 |
11.7 |
5.1 |
0.7 |
|
John Fulkerson |
JR |
6-9 |
11.2 |
5.0 |
1.5 |
| Player | Class | Height | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dru Smith |
JR |
6-3 |
11.7 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
|
Mark Smith |
JR |
6-5 |
11.5 |
4.8 |
0.7 |
|
Mitchell Smith |
JR |
6-10 |
3.8 |
3.5 |
0.7 |
|
Jeremiah Tilmon |
JR |
6-10 |
9.0 |
4.3 |
0.7 |
|
Kobe Brown |
FR |
6-7 |
5.5 |
3.2 |
0.5 |
BY THE NUMBERS
| Mizzou | Category | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
|
67.3 |
PPG |
66.9 |
|
56.8 |
PPG Allowed |
59.6 |
|
49.3 |
Field Goal % |
48.3 |
|
30.1 |
Three-Point % |
31.8 |
|
+4.6 |
Rebound Margin |
+3.8 |
|
14.5 |
Turnovers |
13.5 |
|
118 |
Offensive Efficiency Rank |
93 |
|
27 |
Defensive Efficiency Rank |
42 |
|
293 |
Tempo |
317 |
|
112 |
Strength of Schedule |
81 |
MIZZOU KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Get more from the bigs. Head coach Cuonzo Martin summed up Missouri's loss at Kentucky on Saturday by saying the Tigers played the Wildcats pretty evenly everywhere except down low, and that was the difference in the game. While Tennessee doesn't quite have the size of Kentucky down low, with only one forward, John Fulkerson, standing six-foot-nine or taller, six of the eight players in the Volunteers' regular rotation are at least six-foot-six. Tennessee has been a solid rebounding team, too, with a total rebounding rate of 53 percent (Missouri's is 53.4 percent). All that is to say Missouri can't afford to have another no-show by Jeremiah Tilmon and Mitchell Smith on Tuesday. The duo combined for nine points, four rebounds and nine fouls against Kentucky. Tilmon, especially, needs to get back on track. The junior has battled a couple different injuries of late, but he has long been the x-factor for Missouri, and due to foul trouble he has failed to top 17 minutes or four points in each of his last three games. The Tigers aren't going to beat many SEC opponents with that kind of contribution from their center.
2. Take care of the ball. On paper, Tennessee and Missouri look to be structured very similarly. Both teams' strengths have been defense and rebounding while their weaknesses have been outside shooting and turnovers. Most notably, both want to slow the game down. Tennessee has actually played at a slower pace than Missouri this season, which means possessions (and points) will be at a premium Tuesday night. For the most part, Missouri did a good job of taking care of the ball against Kentucky. If the Tigers can win the turnover battle against Tennessee, they should have the upper hand.
3. Limit Jordan Bowden. With senior point guard Lamonte Turner out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury, Bowden is now the unquestioned go-to guy for Tennessee. The senior has taken nearly a quarter of Tennessee's shots when he has been on the floor this season. So, not surprisingly, as he goes, Tennessee tends to go. Bowden is averaging 14.9 points per game in Tennessee's eight wins this season and 7.8 points per game in its five losses. In Saturday's loss to LSU, he went 1-12 from the field and scored just six points. Bowden lit up Missouri for 20 points off the bench last season, so the look for the Tigers to center their game plan around making life difficult for him. The one other Tennessee player to watch will be newcomer Santiago Vescovi. Vescovi's is a remarkable story — the Uraguay native joined the Volunteer roster on Dec. 28 and, due to Turner's injury, started and played 34 minutes against LSU just a week later. Vescovi hit six of nine three-pointers and scored 18 points, but he also turned the ball over nine times.
POWERMIZZOU PREDICTION
With Tennessee and Missouri both coming off a loss in their SEC openers and looking like NCAA Tournament bubble teams this season, this game should be big for both teams. Since it's at Mizzou Arena, it probably means a bit more for the Tigers. Tennessee already had to replace three starters from last season, so it's no surprise that the Volunteers have struggled to fill Turner's void after his injury. We believe those struggles continue Tuesday and give Missouri the slight edge in an ugly, low-scoring matchup. Turnovers and second-chance points will be key.
FINAL SCORE: Missouri 63, Tennessee 57