Game #26: Arkansas @ Missouri

Arkansas @ Missouri Preview

Opponent: Missouri Tigers
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Time: 8:00PM CDT
Place: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, MO
TV/Streaming: SEC Network
All-Time Series: Arkansas leads 31-26
All-Time Series in Columbia: Missouri leads 16-11

The Tigers – 10-14 (4-7)

Missouri is playing teams in their home arena very tough this season and especially of late. In SEC play, the Tigers have beaten Ole Miss and Alabama at home, but their biggest lost was to Texas A&M by 3 points. They suffered two 1-point losses to Florida and Auburn.

They are no pushover in Mizzou Arena. Cuonzo Martin seems to always get teams to play his style when at home. Things won’t be easy for Arkansas. The key for this Missouri team is getting Kobe Brown going offensively. He is the leading scorer and has taken over some games. In their win against Alabama, Brown had 30 points and 13 rebounds. The big man has been held to 9 points or less in 10 games this season. Missouri is winless in those 10 games. The Tigers are 10-4 when he scores in double figures. Arkansas held Brown to 6 points on 3-11 shooting back in January.

Missouri has just had too much inconsistency from the other areas of the roster. Martin has changed starting lineups and rotations multiple times this season. To make matters worse, Mizzou will be without reserves: Anton Brookshire, Yaya Keita, and Jordan Wilmore tonight. None of those players are key contributors, but they each usually see a bit of playing time to give others a quick breather. This leaves Missouri with just 8 scholarship players tonight. Arkansas is arguably the most physical team in the SEC. Missouri could wear down in this one.

Missouri is one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country at 28.5%. They’ll need to hit a few on Tuesday night. The Tigers also need to get Arkansas in foul trouble early, avoid giving up 2^nd chance opportunities, and take care of the ball.

The Razorbacks – 19-6 (8-4)

Hogs are looking to bounce back after one of their worst offensive performances of the season. We’ve seen some poor shooting nights with this team before, but Saturday’s was different. Arkansas was 9-25 at the rim. That is abysmal. How much different should that game have been? Alabama’s athleticism and length does make those shots more difficult, but the Hogs missed some really easy ones.

It’s time for a bounce back tonight though. You really couldn’t ask for a better opponent to try and get back on track against. Arkansas slaughtered Missouri in Fayetteville in January. The 44-point win was the start of the 9-game winning streak for the Hogs. It’s time for a new streak!

I want to see J.D. Notae get back on track tonight. He didn’t have a bad game on Saturday, but played just 4 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. Au’Diese Toney also struggled going just 1-11 from the field. I want to see him crash the offensive glass for some easy buckets.

This is the easiest game on the schedule for Arkansas the rest of the season so it is extremely important to come away with a win. Not a 15-point win. Not a 30-point win. Just a win!

The Hogs should do that. I think the game will be competitive, but coming off a tough loss on Saturday, Arkansas will be hungry.

Prediction: Arkansas 75, Missouri 66