It will be an SEC showdown on Wednesday as the No. 10 Missouri Tigers (13-3) square off with the Mississippi Rebels (10-8). Ole Miss will host this one at The Pavilion, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.
Missouri comes in on a three-game winning streak, including a huge win over No. 11 Alabama (68-65) on Saturday. Handing the Crimson Tide their first conference loss, Missouri had three players score in double figures. They were led by guard Dru Smith, who had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Mississippi also had a good week last week. Not only did they go 2-0, but they upset No. 16 Tennessee at home 52-50 on Tuesday. They followed it up with an 86-84 win over Auburn on the road. They would like to beat their second top-25 ranked team in as many weeks as they aim to bolster their postseason resume.
Mississippi comes into this one as the favorites playing at home. The spread features Missouri +1.5 while the over/under for total points is 133.5.
By The Numbers
Offensively, Missouri has been the stronger of the two teams. They rank 80th in scoring, averaging 74.8 points per game (81.7 over their last three). Mississippi falls to 210th averaging 69.1 points per game.
Defensively, it is Mississippi with the upper hand. They rank 27th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 63.4 points per game. Missouri ranks 145th allowing 69.9 points, although they have allowed 77.7 over their last three.
Missouri Trying To Hold Onto Top-10 Ranking
With only seven games to play, Missouri has put itself in a good position to get a good seed for the postseason tournament. With victories this season over Alabama, Tennessee, Illinois, and Oregon, they have a lot of confidence they can run with anyone. Hoping to avoid any speedbumps, they will look to take out Ole Miss on Wednesday.
Leading the way for the Tigers are guards Xavier Pinson, Dru Smith, and forward Jeremiah Tilmon. Pinson leads the way with 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.
Smith has averaged 14 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steal, while big man Jeremiah Tilmon is averaging 13.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks.
Other contributors for the Tigers include Mark Smith (10.6 points), Javon Pickett (7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds), and Kobe Brown (6.6 points, 6 rebounds).
Ole Miss Continues Surge Towards Postseason
After winning their first four games of the season, the Rebels were feeling good about their chances this season. Unfortunately, they then dropped six of their next eight. With improved play as of late, they are trying to do their best to get into the postseason tournament, and a win over the Tigers would certainly help.
Senior guard Devontae Shuler has been fantastic this season. In 18 games, he is averaging 15.5 points on 41.3% shooting. He is also chipping in 3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
Mississippi has two other double-digit scorers in forward Romello White and guard Jarkel Joiner. White is averaging 11.1 points on 67% shooting to go with 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Joiner is averaging 10.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.
Taking Missouri And The Points
This is a really interesting matchup. Both teams come in with a ton of confidence, and both are capable of pulling out a victory.
For Ole Miss to win, they are going to have to rely on a heavy dose of defense against the 10th-ranked Tigers. They also need another big performance from guard Devontae Shuler (who has averaged 19.1 points over his last eight games).
For Missouri, they will obviously have to fight through a tough Rebels’ defense while not letting down on the defensive side themselves. Big man Jeremiah Tilmon and guards Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson will be essential to a win.
Really, this is a game that could go either way, and I see it being tight throughout. With a strong possibility of a close game, I will take the points. Take Missouri at +1.5 in this one.
