Tennessee @ Missouri preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 5, 2019 ) Missouri 60, Tennessee 72

Freshman Santiago Vescovi looks to match the production from his collegiate debut and be a part of a victory for the first time when Tennessee pays a visit the Missouri for an SEC matchup Tuesday night. Vescovi was cleared by the NCAA and became eligible just 24 hours before registering 18 points, six rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes Saturday as the Volunteers dropped a 78-64 decision against LSU in the SEC opener for both teams.

“I felt confident,” Vescovi, a 6-3 guard from Uruguay who was playing at the NBA Global Academy in Australia, told reporters. “I know I need to get down those turnovers (nine). I don’t have a very good feeling about the game because it was a tough loss. I don’t really care about how I played. … All this is about the team.” The addition of Vescovi was much needed after the loss of senior guard Lamonte Turner (12.3 points, 7.1 assists) for the season due to shoulder surgery, and coach Rick Barnes told reporters Tennessee can still be a good team despite losing four of the past five games - but there is not much room for error. Missouri, which lost both meetings with the Volunteers by double digits last season, saw its four-game winning streak come to an end with a 71-59 loss at Kentucky in the SEC opener Saturday as the Tigers shot 36.2 percent from the field. “We felt as a staff going into the game the difference would be who can get interior production,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin told reporters after the loss. “And they won the battle.”

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT TENNESSEE (8-5, 0-1 SEC): While Vescovi gives the Volunteers a boost on offense, they need to get senior Jordan Bowden (12.2 points) going again after the 6-5 guard went just 3-for-25 from the field (2-for-14 from 3-point range) in the past two contests. Junior swingman Yves Pons contributes 11.7 points, after pouring in 18 against LSU, and 2.4 blocks per game while junior forward John Fulkerson averages 11.2 points and shoots 66.3 percent from the field. Freshman guard Josiah-Jordan Jones recorded a season-high 15 points in the loss to LSU - almost double his average - and chips in 5.9 boards per game.

ABOUT MISSOURI (8-5, 0-1): Junior guard Dru Smith leads the team in scoring (11.7), assists (4.2) and steals (2.2) after registering a club-best 11 points against Kentucky to make his average 14.7 over the past three contests. Junior guard Mark Smith is the only other player averaging in double figures scoring (11.5) and also contributes 4.8 rebounds along with a team-high 32 made 3-pointers for the Tigers, who shoot 30.1 percent from behind the arc. Junior forward Jeremiah Tilmon (9.0 points, 63.6 percent shooting) was hampered by a foot injury and managed seven points along with three rebounds in eight minutes Saturday.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Missouri freshman F Kobe Brown had nine points against Kentucky, one off his season high.

2. Pons has registered at least one block in all 13 games and boasts an SEC-most 31 on the season.

3. The Tigers are 12th out of 14 teams in the league in scoring (67.3) and Tennessee is 13th (66.9).

PREDICTION: Tennessee 72, Missouri 68