No. 4 Tennessee basketball wraps up their three-game homestand Wednesday at 7 p.m. against No. 15 Missouri at Food City Center. Read more for a full Tennessee vs Missouri prediction and preview.
The No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers look to build on their top-five win over Florida as it concludes a three-game home stand against No. 15 Missouri on Wednesday night in Knoxville.
Last season, the teams faced off in a close game in Columbia, with No. 5 Tennessee emerging victorious by five points.
General Information:
Teams: Tennessee (18-4, 5-4) and Missouri (17-4, 6-2)
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. EST
Watch: SEC Network
Latest on Missouri basketball:
Following two excellent wins in a row, the Missouri Tigers rose five spots to No. 15 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
The Tigers won two consecutive games over ranked opponents, defeating No. 16 Ole Miss 83-75 and No. 14 Mississippi State 88-61 on Saturday. The 27-point victory is the largest in Mizzou history versus a ranked team on the road, surpassing the previous record of 13 points (vs. No. 17 Kansas State in 1956).
The Tigers have a 17-4 overall record and are third in the SEC with a 6-2 conference record. The 6-2 start to conference play marks Mizzou’s best start through eight SEC contests.
According to KenPom, Missouri has the 16th-ranked adjusted offensive efficiency.
Mizzou is led by a balanced guard trio of Tamar Bates (13.5 points per game), Caleb Grill (13.2 points per game), and Mark Mitchell (12.8 points per game).
Caleb Grill has recently emerged as one of the nation’s top shooters. In his last seven games, he has averaged 15.7 points and made half of his three-pointers (26-of-52). Grill has additionally preserved his best for the best of the best. In his last three games against ranked opponents, all of which he has won, he has averaged 21.3 points and 5.7 triples while shooting 56.7 percent from 3-point range (17-of-30).
The Tigers excel at heading to the foul line as a team. They have attempted 572 free throws, placing second in the SEC. They also exert strong pressure on opponents, ranking first with 10.1 steals per game.
“They are playing great basketball,” Vols assistant coach Gregg Polinsky said. “I think in the month of January, they have been the top offensive team in the country. Their defense has always been really good. Chaotic in an organized fashion. They are a very difficult matchup.”
Latest on Tennessee basketball:
With a stunning victory over No. 5 Florida, Tennessee basketball shot up from No. 8 to No. 4 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
The Volunteers trounced the Gators 64-44 despite being without two starters, Zakai Zeigler (knee) and Igor Milicic Jr. (illness).
The Vols were solid defensively, limiting Florida to 13-of-53 shooting from the field and 4-of-27 from three. Seven of Florida’s 13 total turnovers were steals as a result of Tennessee’s pressure. The Volunteers also did an excellent job guarding the rim, blocking seven shots.
Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey made significant contributions to fill Zeigler and Milicic Jr.’s absences.
Star transfer Chaz Lanier was on fire in Saturday’s game and scored a game-high 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including five three-pointers. The North Florida transfer exploded in the second half, scoring 13 of his 19 points in the last 11 minutes.
Senior guard Jordan Gainey took Zeigler’s place at the point guard position. The 6-foot-3 guard came alive in the second half and finished with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting and topped all players in assists (five) and minutes (37), establishing season highs—and new Volunteer records—in both categories. In addition, he ended with a game-high three steals.
Tennessee basketball hosts Missouri in the final game of their first-ever five-game streak against AP top-25 opponents.
Tennessee has the highest adjusted defensive efficiency in the SEC (and country) and has faced all of the top four offenses in the last four games.
Zakai Zeigler and Igor Milicic Jr. practiced on Tuesday before the Vols’ game against the Tigers and are expected to play Wednesday evening.
To win at home, Rick Barnes’ team will need to counter the sizzling Tigers with its No. 1 defense.
Tennessee vs Missouri prediction: Volunteers by 12 (67-55)
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