Vanderbilt @ Missouri preview
Mizzou Arena
Last Meeting ( Feb 27, 2018 ) Missouri 74, Vanderbilt 66
Two teams trying to climb from the bottom of the SEC standings square off Saturday, when Missouri hosts Vanderbilt. The Tigers have dropped three straight and six of their first seven conference games, while the Commodores are in the midst of an eight-game skid and the only winless team in SEC play.
Vanderbilt’s losing streak included a near-upset of top-ranked Tennessee, which escaped with an 88-83 overtime win on Jan. 23, but it has been drubbed in two games since. They were clobbered 86-55 at Oklahoma in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge last Saturday and lost 87-52 to Kentucky three days later. The Tigers have followed a similar arc - after letting a 14-point lead slip away in the final 2 1/2 minutes of an 86-80 home loss to LSU last Saturday, they were thumped 92-58 at Auburn four days later. Missouri is looking for its third consecutive win in the all-time series and never has lost to Vanderbilt at home.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
ABOUT VANDERBILT (9-11, 0-7 SEC): The Commodores are one of the least-experienced teams in the nation, as sophomore Saben Lee (13.5 points) and freshmen Aaron Nesmith (10.2, 5.6 rebounds) and Simisola Shittu (12.5, 7.3) are the team’s top three scorers. Vanderbilt has struggled to replace the offensive production of star freshman guard Darius Garland, who averaged 16.2 points before suffering a season-ending knee injury five games into the campaign. Nesmith has stepped it up of late, leading the Commodores with 14.3 points per game in SEC play - including double figures in five of his last six games.
ABOUT MISSOURI (10-9, 1-6): The Tigers lead the SEC in 3-point shooting (37.9 percent), but they’ve been without the league’s best 3-point shooter in Mark Smith (ankle) for the last two games. Smith (12.6 points, 5.5 rebounds) shoots 47.5 percent from 3-point range, and Missouri’s offense sputtered without him against Auburn. Jordan Geist (13.8 points) has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 16 games and Jeremiah Tilmon (10.4, 5.8 rebounds) has been effective when he avoids foul trouble, but the Tigers haven't had a reliable third option with Smith out of the lineup.
TIP-INS
1. Vanderbilt is one of three teams, along with UNLV and Princeton, to have made a 3-point basket in every game since the inception of the 3-point line in the 1986-87 season.
2. The Tigers are 10-0 when holding opponents under 70 points, while the Commodores have averaged 63.1 in SEC play.
3. Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin is 5-2 against the Commodores, while Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew is 0-3 versus the Tigers.
PREDICTION: Missouri 72, Vanderbilt 68