Missouri @ Alabama preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 16, 2019 ) Alabama 70, Missouri 60

Alabama will try to follow up its upset win over No. 4 Auburn when it hosts Missouri in a Southeastern Conference contest Saturday. The Crimson Tide knocked the Tigers from the ranks of the undefeated Wednesday, 83-64, while Missouri comes into this game off an ugly 72-45 loss at Mississippi State on Tuesday.

Missouri isn't going to score a lot of points -- the Tigers rank 12th in the SEC with 66.9 points per game -- but it's also not going to give up many, allowing just 59.7 points per game. Guard Dru Smith leads the Tigers in both scoring (11.4 points) and assists (4.3), while backcourt mate Mark Smith adds 11.1 points and a team-high 4.7 rebounds per contest. The Crimson Tide are the exact opposite style-wise, scoring 83.2 points a game to lead the conference but also giving up 77.8 points. The guard tandem of Kira Lewis Jr. (16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists) and John Petty Jr. (16.1, 7.3, 2.2) leads four double-figure scorers in the Alabama starting lineup, with both players averaging better than 33 minutes a game.

TIME: 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT MISSOURI (9-7, 1-3 SEC): Shooting is the name of the game in basketball, and for the Tigers, their shooting against the Crimson Tide could be their best form of defense. If Missouri is able to hit shots, it will force Alabama to inbound the ball and not be able to break as easily as they would be able to with missed shots. Unfortunately, the Tigers haven't been terribly efficient offensively, tied for 10th in the SEC with a .433 field-goal percentage, as well as hitting just 31.5 percent from 3-point range.

ABOUT ALABAMA (9-7, 2-2): Alabama will need to take care of the basketball against the Tigers, though it is coming off a 15-turnover performance in the win over Auburn. Missouri ranks third in the SEC in creating turnovers, forcing 15.69 per game, while ranking fourth in steals per game with 7.8. The Crimson Tide had been committing 18.5 turnovers through the first eight games of the season, though that number had been coming down before the effort against Auburn, and coach Nate Oats will certainly be emphasizing the importance of being careful with the basketball against the Tigers.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Missouri is plus-84 in bench points over its last eight games and plus-140 overall this season, having outscored 13 of its 16 opponents in bench production.

2. Junior swingman Herbert Jones has been heating up for Alabama, averaging 13.7 points and 8.2 rebounds over the last six games.

3. The Tigers rank fourth in the country, allowing only 19.6 made field goals per game.

PREDICTION: Alabama 80, Missouri 71