Georgia @ Missouri preview
Mizzou Arena
Last Meeting ( Jan 7, 2017 ) Missouri 66, Georgia 71
When it comes time to compare postseason credentials in March, Wednesday’s head-to-head matchup between Missouri and host Georgia could go a long way in deciding both teams’ fates. The Tigers and Bulldogs both have favorable RPI ratings, and one of them can receive another boost with a victory.
The Tigers were denied a quality win on Saturday, when they squandered a 12-point lead and lost 77-75 to visiting Florida on Chris Chiozza’s steal and layup as time expired. Georgia has bounced back to win two straight following its own crushing loss, a 66-61 defeat at Kentucky to open SEC play in which it led by eight points in the second half. The Bulldogs turned in a dominant defensive effort in a 65-46 triumph over Alabama on Saturday and lead the conference in scoring defense (57.3 points) and field-goal defense (32.6 percent) during league play. Georgia has won six straight meetings with Missouri.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
ABOUT GEORGIA (11-3, 2-1 SEC): The Bulldogs are prone to start four forwards and bring good size off the bench. Everything runs through the 6-8 Yante Maten (20 points, 9.4 rebounds), who has posted seven double-doubles and leads the SEC in rebounding. Guard Turtle Jackson (10.1 points) is the only other double-digit scorer, but the Bulldogs don’t often need much offense thanks to a defense that ranks 17th nationally as it holds opponents to 38.2 percent shooting.
ABOUT MISSOURI (11-4, 1-1): The Tigers are capable of putting out a big lineup that matches up well with the Bulldogs, as they have a talented frontcourt led by Jordan Barnett (15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds) and Kevin Puryear (9.6 points). Freshmen Jeremiah Tilmon (nine points, 4.7 rebounds) and Jontay Porter (8.3, 6.8, 2.3 blocks) have had difficulty avoiding foul trouble and will need to be more disciplined against Georgia. Barnett scored a career-high 28 points against Florida and continued his red-hot shooting from 3-point range, as he is averaging 19.7 points and 7.4 rebounds over his last 10 games while shooting 51.5 percent from beyond the arc in that span.
TIP-INS
1. Georgia’s bench has outscored its opponents’ in 10 of the team's 14 games after doing so only nine times last season.
2. Missouri’s 148 3-point field goals are the most in program history through 15 contests.
3. The Tigers rank 17th nationally in rebound rate at 55.7 percent, while the Bulldogs are 23rd at 54.9 percent - the second- and fourth-best marks, respectively, in the SEC.
PREDICTION: Georgia 71, Missouri 69