Arkansas @ Missouri preview
Mizzou Arena
Last Meeting ( Jan 23, 2019 ) Missouri 60, Arkansas 72
Arkansas will look to move back above .500 in SEC play - and even its record in conference road games - when it visits Missouri on Tuesday. The Tigers are trying to snap a two-game skid and avoid slipping below .500 overall for the first time in second-year coach Cuonzo Martin’s tenure.
Mike Anderson’s teams enjoyed a significant home-court advantage at Mizzou Arena when he was leading the Tigers, but his Razorbacks have lost in their last two trips to Missouri. Arkansas has been up-and-down on the road this season and is coming off a 77-65 loss at South Carolina on Saturday. The Tigers have been short-handed of late, as 3-point specialist Mark Smith has missed the last five games with an ankle injury while Jeremiah Tilmon sat out Saturday’s 68-59 setback against Texas A&M after having his wisdom teeth removed. Arkansas erased a 13-point deficit in a 70-62 home win over Missouri on Jan. 23 - its seventh victory in the last nine meetings between the squads.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU
ABOUT ARKANSAS (14-9, 5-5 SEC): The Razorbacks thrive on their pressure defense, but they have a nice inside-outside combination at the offensive end as well. Preseason SEC Player of the Year Daniel Gafford (16.5 points, 8.7 rebounds) is a force inside while freshman Isaiah Joe (14.1 points) and sophomore Mason Jones (13.8) have combined to knock down 132 3-pointers. Joe poured in 23 points in the first meeting with the Tigers.
ABOUT MISSOURI (11-11, 2-8): The Tigers led the SEC in 3-point shooting for most of the season but have slipped to second in the league at 36.7 percent. The absence of Smith (12.6 points, 5.5 rebounds), who shoots a conference-best 47.5 percent from beyond the arc, has stunted Missouri’s offense for the last four games, and it's unclear when he will return. Jordan Geist (13.6 points) has had to attempt to carry the Tigers with Smith sidelined, which was made more difficult without Tilmon (10.7, 5.9 rebounds) anchoring the post.
TIP-INS
1. Joe (82) needs one 3-pointer to match Rotnei Clarke’s school record for a freshman set in 2009.
2. Arkansas has made a 3-pointer in 1,000 consecutive games dating to 1989, the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.
3. Missouri freshman G Javon Pickett scored a team-high 15 points against Texas A&M, marking the third straight contest in which he hit double digits.
PREDICTION: Arkansas 74, Missouri 69