Arkansas @ Missouri preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 12, 2019 ) Arkansas 78, Missouri 79

Arkansas looks to bounce back from a tough home loss when it visits Missouri on Saturday in an SEC contest. The Razorbacks back fell at home to No. 11 Auburn on Tuesday, while the Tigers are trying to snap a two-game losing streak, with the most recent setback coming at Texas A&M on Tuesday.

Arkansas is led by junior guard Mason Jones, who paces the Razorbacks in almost all major categories with 20.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per contest. Coach Eric Musselman is still trying to juggle his lineup to account for the absence of sophomore guard Isaiah Joe, who ranks second on the team with a 16.7-point average and has hit a team-high 72 3-pointers, who had knee surgery on Tuesday that will sideline him indefinitely. The Tigers have had their own injury problems, with second-leading scorer Mark Smith (10.9 points) sidelined for the last two games with a back injury, while center Jeremiah Tilmon played for the first time after sitting out eight games in the loss to Texas A&M. The one constant for coach Cuonzo Martin has been guard Dru Smith (11.3 points, 4.2 assists, 2.1 steals), but he's going to need help against the Razorbacks.

TIME: 3:30 pm ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT ARKANSAS (16-6, 4-5 SEC): With Joe sidelined for an indetermined time, the Razorbacks will look to sophomore guard Desi Sills to fill the scoring void, and so far, he's been able to do that. In the two games that Joe has missed this season, Sills has stepped up his game, averaging 16 points and three steals in 37 minutes of action per game. Sills had 14 in the loss to Auburn, hitting 4-of-6 from 3-point range, as well as notching a career-high four steals in the setback.

ABOUT MISSOURI (10-12, 2-7): The Tigers' hopes for a postseason berth of any kind likely rest on the shoulders of Tilmon, though the 6-10 junior has been quite inconsistent this season. After scoring in double figures in three of Missouri's first four games this season, he had a scoreless game against Butler and was averaging 9.2 points before being sidelined for nine of 10 games with a stress fracture in his foot. He seems to be ready to go again, though he came off the bench against Texas A&M, playing just 12 minutes and finishing with two points on 1-of-4 shooting.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Jones ranks second in the nation in made free throws with 137 despite missing 18 attempts from the stripe over the last four games.

2. Missouri ranks second in the SEC in both steals per game (7.0) and turnovers forced per contest (14.8).

3. Arkansas leads the nation in 3-point defense, holding opponents to just 24.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

PREDICTION: Arkansas 74, Missouri 62