Missouri will have their hands full with one of the best scoring guards in the country.
After upsetting No. 9 Kentucky on their home court, the Vanderbilt Commodores found themselves ranked in the AP Top 25 celebrating their accomplishment. The joy came to an emphatic end as their first game as a ranked foe was a 97-67 drubbing of Oklahoma.
The banging of that drum is something the No. 14 Missouri Tigers can relate to, as the team suffered a similar fate at the hands of Arkansas. It was just days after the Tigers upset the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide on home court.
Both teams have bounced back from the roadblocks, and have strung together a good run of play as of late. Mizzou was ranked as the second best team in the country by Torvik for the month of February, and Vanderbilt is coming in hot off of two straight ranked victories. Who’s momentum will crash this time? The two teams faced off earlier in the season, the Tigers being the victors.
Missouri @ Vanderbilt
When | 6:00 p.m. CT
Where | Memorial Gymnasium; Nashville, Tn.
TV | SEC Network
Radio | Tiger Radio Network // Sirius/XM -119/199
ESPN win probability | 51.8% chance
The Starters
Mizzou (21-7, 10-5 SEC)
G: Anthony Robinson II (SO, 9.4 PPG)
G: Tamar Bates (SR, 13.2 PPG)
G: Tony Perkins (SR, 8.6 PPG)
F: Mark Mitchell (JR, 13.7 PPG)
F: Trent Pierce (SO, 7.4 PPG)
Notable Sixth Man: Caleb Grill (SR, 13.7 PPG)
Vanderbilt (19-9, 7-8 SEC)
G: AJ Hoggard (SR, 9.6 PPG)
G: Tyler Nickel (SR, 10.3 PPG)
G: MJ Collins Jr. (JR, 7.8 PPG)
G: Jason Edwards (JR, 17.2 PPG)
F: Devin McGlockton (JR, 10.6 PPG)
Notable Sixth Man: Chris Manon (SR, 5.5 PPG)
Note: These starting lineups are projected.
Get to know Vanderbilt: Mark Byington’s brand new success story
Mark Byington was earning praise for creating a Vandy team that could make the tournament earlier in the year, but he deserves praise for a team that will make the tournament now. Jason Edwards has carried his non-conference form into SEC play with hardly any drop off, and Devin McGlockton has been a force on the inside. AJ Hoggard has seen his performance diminish since SEC Play began unlike Tyler Nickel who has improved.
Vanderbilt’s latest two wins came over No. 24 Ole Miss and No. 12 Texas A&M, the latter being a crushing loss eliminating any chance the Aggies had for the regular season crown. What’s the secret? Getting to the line, the Commodores have got to the free throw line 65 times in the last two games. They have found an aggressive style as of late, and it’s winning them ball games.
Byington is in his first season as Vanderbilt head coach and if he leads his ‘Dores to the tournament it will be the first time since since the 2016-17 season when a Bryce Drew-led (now coaching the high-flyers of the WAC Grand Canyon) Commodore team lost in the first round of the tournament. Byington is an astounding 52-28 in his last two seasons, both seasons starting with relatively low expectations at James Madison and Vanderbilt being exceeded.
The Commodores are led by North Texas transfer Jason Edwards, whose illustrious game that was showcased in the AAC last season has translated to the SEC since he has kept up with his Mean Green pace since joining the toughest conference in the country. Edwards is one of the most consistent players in the country, not having a single game without injury that he has played in without scoring double digit points.
MJ Collins Jr. has broken out in conference play, and has become a real asset for the Commodores on the bench and had 16 points in the upset over the Aggies. He’s a streaky player but when he gets hot, he is difficult to stop as a shooting threat. Devin McGlockton was outrebounded and held to just six points by Josh Gray in these teams last matchup, but he has been a defensive monster as of late.
3 Keys to the Game
Let Mark Cook
Mark Mitchell is one of the hottest players in the country right now, gaining constant praise from every coach who has to scheme against him. His inside threat gives Mizzou a devastating option in the post for opposing teams. His hot streak has him tied for first for the Tigers in scoring, and he needs to be rebounding hard and attacking the rim against an undersized Vanderbilt team.
Get to the Free Throw Line
In these teams last matchup I said “this might just be a key to the game in every game this season” and that has proven to be extremely true for the Tigers. The Tigers not only need to get to the free throw line they need to play cleaner defense. South Carolina and Arkansas both fed themselves well at the charity stripe, Vanderbilt cannot receive the same fate since their victories thrive off of it.
Ball Screen Galore
Shots are falling from everywhere for the Tigers lately, with an incredibly efficient 11-of-19 performance against South Carolina. This is mainly in part to the likes of Josh Gray and Mark Mitchell setting efficient ball screens for Caleb Grill and Jacob Crews to pounce on. Look for Tamar Bates, his minutes have significantly dropped lately but I have a feeling he’ll get off to a quick start in this one.
Game Prediction
My prediction: Missouri 95, Vanderbilt 80
It will be raining buckets for both teams in this game, and Jason Edwards and Caleb Grill will have a shooting battle for the ages. Mark Mitchell and Devin McGlockton will both have an amazing day, but I really see this coming down to depth. Who’s depth can fuel their team, Mizzou typically has the advantage in that facet but Arkansas showed other teams can beat them at their own game. All in all, I see a happy Tiger team leaving Nashville.