After an 11-day break from competition that included a five-day pause in team activities, the Missouri basketball team is set to return to the court Saturday. The last time the Tigers played a game, it swung violently from good to bad, with the team turning a 14-point second-half lead into a 15-point loss at Mississippi State. Missouri will look to bounce back from that loss and return to .500 in SEC play when it travels to Texas A&M. Here's everything you need to know to get set for the matchup.
TIP TIME INFORMATION
Missouri (7-2) vs. Texas A&M (7-4)
WHEN: 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Reed Arena, College Station, Texas
TV: SEC Network
RADIO: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Chris Gervino)
SERIES: Texas A&M leads 21-18
KenPom Prediction: Missouri 67-63
THE STARTING LINEUPS
BY THE NUMBERS
MIZZOU KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Start fast. Missouri should be the more talented team in this matchup, but the big question mark for the Tigers is how the team will react after its second-half meltdown against Mississippi State as well as an 11-day layoff. Missouri has had two week-plus breaks between games, and both times it looked sluggish afterward (against Bradley and Tennessee). Texas A&M is not a team you want to fall behind early against because the Aggies want to slow the game way down and win in the 50s. They've only topped 60 points once in five conference games. As the last game showed us, a good start means nothing if it's not backed up by a solid second half, but you'd certainly feel better if Missouri comes out crisp and shows that the Mississippi State game is behind it versus looking disjointed again.
2. Take care of the ball. Texas A&M turns the ball over at an astounding rate. The Aggies have given the ball away on 24.6 percent of possessions this season. That ranks second-to-last among all high-major teams in the country, better than only DePaul. Yet, Texas A&M has been able to get away with it at times this season because they have actually forced opponents to turn the ball over at an even higher rate (24.7 percent). Missouri has struggled with turnovers at times this season, giving the ball away 21 times two games in a row to start conference play. If the Tigers can take decent care of the ball and win the turnover margin, their chances of pulling out a road win should greatly increase. In Texas A&M's seven wins this season, it is a combined plus-nine in turnovers. In their four losses, the Aggies are minus-17.
3. Attack the basket. Missouri's offense struggled mightily against Texas A&M last season. In the Aggies' sweep of the Tigers, Missouri shot a combined 30 of 99 from the field. That's a preposterously poor 30.3 percent. We're talking about all field goals here, not just three-pointers — although three-point shooting was a big part of the problem. Mizzou attempted a whopping 35 threes in the first matchup (making nine) and 27 in the second matchup (making seven). This time around, with Missouri shooting an even lower percentage from three-point range than it did a year ago, the Tigers simply cannot afford to attempt more shots from outside the three-point line than inside it, and the two numbers shouldn't even be close. It's not like Texas A&M has defended the rim all that well, either. The Aggies rank 244th nationally in two-point defense. The defensive game plan against Missouri will clearly be to clog the lane and try to make the Tigers shoot over the top, but Missouri's guards need to penetrate and find a way to get Jeremiah Tilmon involved.
POWERMIZZOU PREDICTION
Look for this game to be a bit of a grind. Neither team shoots the ball well from beyond three-point range and turnovers could be plentiful. But assuming Missouri doesn't come out looking dazed after its lengthy break between games, the Tigers should be the better team. Texas A&M has really been fortunate to win two of its first five SEC games. The Aggies' two wins came by a combined three points, while their three losses have been by 61. They've had opponents make just 61 percent of free throw attempts on the season, seventh-lowest in the nation, which is pure luck in a year with no home crowds to speak of. If Missouri can take decent care of the ball and keep its offense moving North to South, the Tigers should have enough easy scoring opportunities off Texas A&M's turnovers to put this one out of reach.
FINAL SCORE: Missouri 63, Texas A&M 56
