It's Hoops Time in Tennessee: Missouri Preview 2/11/23

 

Last time out: Something happened in Nashville Wednesday. Mizzou beat South Carolina 83-74 in Columbia, MO on Tuesday. 

Previously on Vols-Tigers: Tennessee coasted to an easy 80-61 victory on February 22, 2022. This will be the two squads' only meeting in the 2022-23 season. 

What to Watch For: Mizzou is lead by Kobe Brown, a 6' 7", 240-lb senior forward. Earning his Kobe moniker, Brown averages 18 ppg in SEC play and leads the conference in advanced metrics like effective field goal percentage, true shooting percentage, offensive box plus/minus, and offensive rating, while also being in the top 5 conference-wide in categories like win shares and points produced. All that can be taken to mean that Brown is efficient and effective with the ball. Watch his highlights from his 30-point effort against Kentucky and you'll see a dude that can get to the basket off the dribble, plays strong around the rim, and can still hit from outside the arc when needed. Tennessee will need to keep Brown from taking over the game. 

Prediction: For this Tennessee team? In this economy? Like most Vol fans I'm dumbfounded by the Vols' recent efforts. Missouri is on an upward trend, having won four of their last five games. They are just 1-1 on the road in that stretch however, and four of their five losses in SEC play have been away from home. The game being in Thompson-Boling is enough for me to call for UT to win, but with low confidence. You can probably take Mizzou +11 and the under 141.5 while you're at it.