Alabama basketball will hit the road to Missouri and looks to get back on track after the loss on Saturday as it continues the gauntlet stretch of games to end the regular season. Read more for a complete Alabama vs Missouri prediction and preview.
Alabama basketball is coming off a 94-85 loss over top-ranked Auburn at home. The team kept the turnovers down, but the shots were not falling. The Tide looks to stay on track and stay behind Auburn in the league standings, currently in sole possession of second place.
The Tide dropped two spots to number four in this week’s AP poll.
“Can we bounce back after a tough loss with the proper mindset? I was disappointed last year with our leadership after the Tennessee game going into Florida. Based on yesterday’s practice and today’s practice I think the answer is yes,” said head coach Nate Oats.
Game Information:
Teams: Alabama (22-4, 10-2) and Missouri (19-6, 8-4)
Tip-Off: 8 p.m. CST
Watch: SEC Network
Listen: Tide 100.9
Latest on Missouri basketball:
The Missouri Tigers are entering year three under Dennis Gates. The Tigers are off to a 19-6 start and have been the most improved team in the SEC and around the country after not winning a single conference game just a season ago.
So far this season, its best nonconference win came at home over arch-rival Kansas, who was number one at the time, in a 76-67 win. In conference play, it has been in the league’s top half and has won its last two games, most recently in an 87-74 win on the road at Georgia. Anthony Robinson II led the team with 15 points, and Iowa State transfer Caleb Grill had 15 points off the bench.
The Tigers have three scorers who average double-figures: Indiana transfer Tamar Bates, Duke transfer Mark Mitchell, and Grill.
The Tigers are a lengthy team, with all players getting minutes 6″3 and above.
Bates is leading the team in scoring, averaging 13.4 PPG this season. South Carolina transfer Josh Gray leads the team on the glass, averaging 5.2 RPG, and has a double-double in 16 24 games. Robinson II leads the team in assists, averaging 3.3 APG.
Per KenPom, the Tigers are ranked 11th in offensive efficiency numbers and are in the top 40 at 40th in defensive efficiency. The team is the sixth-ranked team in its conference rankings by the numbers. The team averages around 82.6 PPG and shoots 37.1% from the three-point line.
Latest on Alabama basketball:
Alabama is entering the game looking to get back to winning ways after the loss to Auburn.
The team had one of its worst shooting days from three all season, going just 19% from downtown after shooting nearly 60% last week against Texas.
Alabama cut the turnovers to seven against Auburn but had difficulty creating open looks. The team must find other ways to get Mark Sears, the leading scorer, back to scoring efficiently. The team may need to consider bringing back Labaron Philon into the starting five as the facilitator of the offense.
Oats said there have been considerations of putting Philon back into the starting lineup.
Derrion Reid got back in the mix with under five minutes of action but was able to score at the free throw line and guard on the other end.
Oats said Reid’s hamstring flared up again after the Auburn game and has not practiced the last two days and will be getting an MRI.
“Derrion’s one of our best positional size, athletic defenders. It would be great to have him. It’s hard not getting reps. He’s missed nearly a third of our practice reps this year,” said Oats.
Defensively, Alabama plays very well in the first half of games, but after getting a lead, it loses focus and needs to be focused for 40 minutes.
“Are we not mature enough to guard when we’re up? I don’t like our sense of urgency to guard when we have a lead,” said Oats.
Alabama will have to carry the momentum from the last game from behind the arc, where the team shot over 58 percent from the outside.
Sears still leads the team, averaging 17.8 PPG on the season. Grant Nelson continues to be a force around the glass in the rebounding department, averaging 8.3 RPG. Sears leads the team in assists at 4.8 APG, whereas the team averages 16.7 APG.
Per KenPom, Alabama remains in the top three and 3rd in offensive efficiency. On the defensive end, the team has an efficiency ranking of 38; Alabama is averaging 90.3 PPG while shooting 33.9% from three.
Alabama vs Missouri prediction: Crimson Tide by 6
Alabama has been playing much better on the road instead of at home this weekend. It will look to silence the crowd in Columbia and leave with a close win.
[…] basketball moved to 10-3 in the SEC with a 110-98 loss over Missouri on the road in a hostile atmosphere and cut it to as close as six late, but could […]