After putting an end to a three-game losing streak, the Missouri Tigers will be hell-bent on staying on the right track in Tuesday’s head-to-head meeting with the Ole Miss Rebels. An ugly three-game run for the Tigers included an 80-59 blowout loss on the road to the Rebels. They’ll be looking to cash in on a shot at vengeance when hosting the rematch at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers took care of business on the road against South Carolina on Saturday, while the Rebels fell against Mississippi State.
Joiner’s hot hand
Ole Miss experienced an offensive explosion Missouri wasn’t prepared to defend against when these two teams met well over a week ago. They’re averaging under 70 points per game, and they managed to drop 80 points at home against the Tigers.Jarkel Joiner had the hot hand on that night and finished with a team-high 21 points, while Devontae Shuler knocked down five 3-pointers to help do his part. If the Rebels can find the same level of offensive success on Tuesday, they’ll be well on their way towards winning the rematch. Of course, that’s a big if when considering the lack of offensive efficiency the Rebels have shown all season. They’re a defensive team that was riding a scorching hot wave.
They could certainly get hot again, but this game is going to come down to their ability to defend and limit the Tigers offensively. Missouri isn’t a big 3-point shooting team, and most of their work will likely come inside of the arc. The lack of consistency to stretch the floor with long-distance shooting is a lingering problem for the Tigers that could once again play out in the Rebels’ favor.
Tigers can’t fall behind
Missouri didn’t really give themselves a chance to have a competitive game against the Rebels in the first meeting. They shot 5-of-15 from the free-throw line, got bullied on the boards and allowed a predominantly defensive team to go off for 80 points. Imagine trying to play catch-up against a team that’s ranked 21st in the country in Kenpom’s adjusted defensive efficiency ratings.The Tigers have to make a defensive stand at some point in the rematch. Their last four losses this season have come against teams that have scored 80-plus points against them. Ole Miss is coming into the rematch averaging 67.8 points per game on the road. So it isn’t like the Tigers are facing an explosive offensive team consistently blowing opponents off the floor.
Speaking of offense, the Tigers clearly have to do better than 59 points. Dru Smith was the only starter in the first game that finished in double scoring figures. Leading-scorer Xavier Pinson and Jeremiah Tilmon were held to a combined 12 points. That can’t happen if Missouri has any hopes of avenging the loss.
You can rest assured there won’t be nearly as many clean looks at the basket as the team saw against South Carolina on Saturday.
Team Trends
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The top supporting trends for this game, found on Covers.com, are:
- Rebels are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games against a team with a winning % above .600.
- Rebels are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games.
- Rebels are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games against a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
- Rebels are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games against a team with a winning home record.
- Tigers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games against a team with a road winning % of less than .400.
- Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 head-to-head meetings.
- Favorite is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 head-to-head meetings.
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