Tiger Tip-Off Preview: Vanderbilt

Head coach Dennis Gates believes Missouri is entering the toughest stretch of its schedule this week. According to ESPN, the Tigers have the second-toughest remaining schedule in the country, only trailing Arizona.

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Mizzou begins the gauntlet taking on Vanderbilt at home. In the team’s last matchup a year ago at Memorial Gym in Nashville, the Tigers, ranked No. 14 in the country at the time, led the Commodores by six with 1:33 remaining in the second half. Vandy rallied to tie the game up at 81-81 at the buzzer and went on to take a 97-93 victory in overtime. That win helped the Commodores go on to earn an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.

The roles are reversed this time around, with Vanderbilt ranked 19th in the AP Top 25 Poll and the black and gold needing to improve their resume to go dancing. Now in head coach Mark Byington’s second year at the helm, the ‘Dores have won five of their past six games and have been held to under 80 points just four times throughout the season.

MU is looking to bounce back from an 85-68 loss to Texas on Saturday and defend its home court. Gates expects his team to be prepared for the matchup.

“At this level, you have tremendous shot-makers, and we’ve got to get a hand up without fouling. We can’t send them to the line for easy shots,” Gates said. “They’re a tremendous team when it comes down to scoring. They’ve been that through the entire year. They’ve been a spark of the SEC conference as our ‘elite’ team early on, where we were able to kind of jockey for position with other teams being able to get nationally ranked and otherwise. … You have to understand this is still a team that, in our conference, has been elite.”

TIP TIME INFORMATION

Who: Missouri (17-8, 7-5 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (21-4, 8-4 SEC)

When: Wednesday, Feb. 18, 8 p.m. CT

Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri

TV: SEC Network

Series: Missouri leads, 10-9

KenPom Prediction: Vanderbilt 81, Missouri 75

SEC INJURY REPORT

Mizzou

Jevon Porter – Out

Annor Boateng – Out

Vanderbilt

Frankie Collins – Out

Duke Miles – Out

LAST GAME’S STARTERS

Missouri Tigers

Vanderbilt Commodores

BY THE NUMBERS

KEYS TO THE GAME

1) Knock down 3-pointers. While Vandy has been one of the top defensive teams in the country, they’ve had a handful of lapses on that end this year. The Commodores are 2-4 this season when their opponent scores at least 80 points. In all but the team’s loss to Texas on Jan. 14, the opponent made nine triples in those games. And in all but the team’s win against Alabama on Jan. 7, the opponent made at least 37.5% from beyond the arc in those outings. Mizzou has accomplished both feats four times this season, including in an 84-74 home win over Auburn on Jan. 14. The Tigers shot a high percentage against the Longhorns on Saturday, but didn’t have a high number of attempts, going 4-10. MU would benefit from a balanced inside-out approach this week.

2) Key in on Tyler Tanner. After establishing himself as a rotation player as a rookie, Tanner has grown into the face of Vanderbilt’s program. In SEC play, Tanner ranks No. 1 in conference play in assist rate, accounting for 34.3% of the team’s dimes when he’s on the floor. He also ranks eighth in the league with 6.0 fouls drawn per 40 minutes, and eighth with a free throw percentage of 86.2%. Tanner is averaging 20.8 points and 5.9 assists so far in SEC play, but has been slowed down in a few games this year. Arkansas held him to 11 points on 3-10 shooting in its 93-68 win over Vandy on Jan. 8. The Tigers should look to do a similar job of limiting his impact.

“Tyler Tanner is one of the most-improved players in the country,” Gates said. “And when I say ‘improved,’ it’s not an insult, it’s just a matter of opportunity. … His speed, his quickness, very seldom does he make mistakes, being able to not only make decision quick but being able to get his team involved, he does a great job. He’s one of the best players in our conference and throughout the country this season.”

3) Gain an edge on the glass. Missouri had one of its worst performances on the boards in SEC play in its loss to Texas, getting outrebounded 36-26. It was reminiscent of how the Tigers fared rebounding in seasons past, not how they’ve done this year. Cleaning the glass has been a bit of a weakness for the Commodores, however, who rank 14th in the SEC in offensive rebounding rate according to KenPom and 10th in defensive rebounding rate. Florida scored 22 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds in its win over Vanderbilt. Oklahoma scored 16 second-chance points on 10 offensive rebounds when it took down the Commodores. Returning to form on the boards could help give the Tigers a chance to come out with the win.

PREDICTION

I tend to think Vanderbilt is better than Mizzou when both teams are at their best. And while an off night for the Commodores isn’t off the table, they don’t come around too often. I’ve got Vandy handing the Tigers a second-straight loss, 90-82.

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