Mississippi @ Missouri preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 9, 2019 ) Mississippi 73, Missouri 68

Missouri looks for a second straight win and to climb to .500 on the season when it hosts Ole Miss in an SEC contest on Tuesday. The Tigers are coming off an upset of No. 12 Auburn on Saturday, while the Rebels come into the contest having dropped their last outing - 67-62 at No. 10 Kentucky.

Ole Miss is led by its dynamic backcourt duo of senior Breein Tyree (19.9 points, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals) and junior Devonate Shuler (11.6, 3.4, 1.9). Those two combined to averaged 32.5 points in the Rebels' two victories over Missouri last season. The Tigers are led by their backcourt duo of Dru Smith (12.3 points, 4.0 assists) and Mark Smith (10.9 points), though the latter has sat out the last five games with a back injury and is questionable for Tuesday. In his absence, Dru Smith stepped up his game, as did sophomore Xavier Pinson, as both set new career highs with 28 points apiece in the upset of Auburn.

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

ABOUT OLE MISS (13-12, 4-8 SEC): One of the things that coach Kermit Davis' squad has been good at this season is 3-point defense, ranking eighth in the country entering this week by holding opponents to 28.2 percent from beyond the arc. That defense nearly got the Rebels a win on the road against Kentucky on Saturday, as the Wildcats made just 2-of-22 attempts from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, that defense on the perimeter hasn't always been present in the paint, with the Rebels averaging the fewest blocked shots in the SEC this season at just 2.7 per game.

ABOUT MISSOURI (12-13, 4-8): Coach Cuonzo Martin continues to have to juggle his lineup due to injuries, as Mark Smith and Jeremiah Tilmon have both been sidelined for the last three contests, with latter missing 12 of the last 14 games - playing just 20 total minutes of action since Dec. 21. Only Dru Smith has started every game this season, with eight different players getting starting nods at some point during the campaign. The result has been an inconsistent offense that ranks 12th in the league (67.3) with the Tigers' postseason hopes kept alive mainly because of their defense that allows just 65.2 points per contest.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Rebels have not shown a lot of depth in conference play, with starters scoring 90.4 percent of the team's points against SEC opponents.

2. Missouri ranks 11th nationally in field goals allowed per game, surrendering just 21 per contest.

3. Ole Miss has dominated this series in recent seasons, winning 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two schools.

PREDICTION: Ole Miss 68, Missouri 62