Georgia @ Missouri preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 13, 2019 ) Georgia 61, Missouri 71

Georgia may have one of the top freshmen in the nation in guard Anthony Edwards, but the Bulldogs head to Missouri on Tuesday looking to get in sync offensively after a dreadful performance in Saturday’s home loss to Ole Miss. The Bulldogs shot 30.9 percent from the field in a 70-60 defeat against a team that was winless in SEC play, and Georgia’s offensive inconsistency has played a role in the Bulldogs losing five times in six league games.

“We’re not going to beat anybody shooting the way we shot,” Georgia coach Tom Crean told reporters afterward. “Our defense at times was good, but the bottom line is our offense didn’t give us enough of a chance.” The Tigers have also dropped five of their first six conference games and are just 1-6 overall in January, including a 74-51 loss at No. 11 West Virginia on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Missouri shot just 28.3 percent in the defeat as sophomore guard Torrence Watson recorded 19 points, the only Tigers player who reached double figures as they were outscored 50-28 in the second half. “I think we shied away from the aggressiveness and we didn’t match it,” Missouri senior center Reed Nikko told the media postgame. “I think that really hurt us.”

TIME: 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT GEORGIA (11-8, 1-5 SEC): Edwards is the top scoring freshman in the nation at 18.6 points, but shot just 3-for-12 from the field Saturday and finished 3-for-10 from 3-point range in scoring 13 points. The Bulldogs got season highs from senior guard Jordan Harris with 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench on 5-for-9 shooting from the field, but finished with twice as many turnovers (16) as assists (eight). Georgia scored 80 or more points eight times in its first 10 games, but has reached that mark only once in its past nine contests - averaging 69.2 points in that span.

ABOUT MISSOURI (9-10, 1-5): The Tigers top two scorers, Dru Smith (11.6 points) and fellow junior guard Mark Smith (11.4), combined to score seven points on 1-for-7 shooting against West Virginia. Watson scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half, and has 30 in his past two games after managing 22 combined in his previous five contests. Missouri is holding opponents to 62.3 points per game (second in the SEC) and the Tigers are shooting a SEC-leading 77.4 percent from the free-throw line.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Missouri junior F Jeremiah Tilmon remains sidelined with a stress fracture in his left foot.

2. The Bulldogs play six of their final 12 regular-season games on the road, where they are 1-4 overall and 0-3 in SEC matchups.

3. Georgia junior F/C Rayshaun Hammonds, who had averaged 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds across his previous nine contests before Saturday, scored four with five boards against Ole Miss.

PREDICTION: Missouri 67, Georgia 65