Georgia @ Missouri preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 6, 2019 ) Missouri 64, Georgia 39

Missouri struggled through most of its SEC schedule, but faces an opponent who fared even worse as the Tigers face Georgia in the first round of the SEC tournament Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. The No. 12 seed Tigers did put together back-to-back victories before losing to Mississippi in the regular-season finale last weekend, the second of those triumphs a 64-39 road rout of the 13th-seeded Bulldogs on March 6 in which Georgia scored just 14 first-half points.

There are reasons for future optimism for both teams, however. The Tigers saw freshman guard Xavier Pinson finish with a career-best 20 points with six assists against Ole Miss, the third freshman this season to score at least 20 points in a game – a first in Missouri history. The Bulldogs endured a miserable SEC campaign, losing 15 of their final 16 league games following a 1-1 start, but sophomore forward Nicolas Claxton earned second-team All-SEC honors after leading the team in scoring (13 points per game), rebounding (8.6), blocks (2.4) and steals (1.1). Wednesday’s winner advances to Thursday’s second round against fifth-seed and 24th-ranked Auburn.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT GEORGIA (11-20): Claxton finished the regular season second in the SEC in rebounding and blocked shots (10th nationally), finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the Bulldogs’ loss Saturday at South Carolina. Senior forward Derek Ogbeide also recorded a double-double against the Gamecocks (11 points, 10 rebounds) and is eighth on the school’s all-time rebounding list. Georgia is last in the SEC in points allowed per game (74).

ABOUT MISSOURI (14-16): Freshman guard Torrence Watson owns the school freshman 3-point record with 47, and in his past four games is averaging 15.7 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting from long range. The Tigers have leaned heavily on young talent, getting 68.3 percent of their scoring from players expected to return next season. Senior guard Jordan Geist leads Missouri in scoring at 14 points per game and minutes played at 33.5 per contest.

TIP-INS

1. Georgia F Rayshaun Hammonds, the team’s second-leading scorer, underwent foot surgery last week and is out.

2. Missouri is 13-4 this season when limiting opponents to fewer than 70 points.

3. The Bulldogs SEC showing is the program’s worst since also going 2-16 in 1973-74, surpassed only by a 1-13 league mark in 1955-56.

PREDICTION: Missouri 71, Georgia 58