The chances of Missouri basketball finding a win in Southeastern Conference play are becoming slimmer with six games left in the regular season.
On Saturday, the Tigers were close to achieving its first league victory after leading at halftime and by as much as 10 in the second half against Mississippi , but ultimately fell short in the end. According to KenPom, the Rebels are Missouri's highest chance of picking up a win over the rest of the season as the two play again on Feb. 28, but that number sits at just 38%.
FROM THE LAST TIME OUT Missouri basketball drops 12th straight in narrow loss at Ole Miss
KenPom.com gives the Tigers just an 11% chance of defeating its next opponent Tennessee on Tuesday. The teams tip off at 6:00 p.m. CT on the SEC Network at Mizzou Arena.
While Missouri's (8-17, 0-12 Southeastern Conference) chances of winning are low, there's a lot of positives to take away from Saturday into Tuesday including the emergence of Jordan Butler and Aidan Shaw who combined for 20 points.
"Those two guys did an unbelievable job tonight," said Dennis Gates after the Tigers defeat on Saturday. "Instead of focusing on other negative things, I would like to focus on those two guys and their performances, because for us to be able to be in this game, we wouldn't be able to be in this game without those two."
Missouri also got to the free throw line more times and made more free throws than it had all season. The Tigers attempted 30 free throws and knocked down 25 of them equaling 83%.
"Our guys did get to the foul line, which is credit to our aggression," Gates said. "We did have a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. But we did have some costly turnovers that led to five of their points, but I am proud of our team. We had the lead for 19 minutes and 16 seconds to their 17 minutes and 59 seconds."
The Tigers are going to need to take those positives into a tough matchup against a talented Volunteers team that is currently second in the SEC. Tennessee possesses victories over the likes of Wisconsin and Kentucky and currently holds a two-game win streak.
Ahead of Tuesday's matchup (6:00 p.m. CT, SEC Network), here's a look at the Volunteers (19-6, 9-3) and how they stack up against the Tigers.
Guard Dalton Knecht (Graduate): 6-foot-6, 204 pounds. Averages: 20.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.3 blocks, 1.8 turnovers.
Guard Josiah-Jordan James (Graduate): 6-foot-6, 224 pounds. Averages: 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds. 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks, 0.7 turnovers.
Guard Santiago Vescovi (Graduate): 6-foot-3. Averages: 7.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.1 blocks, 1.2 turnovers.
Guard Zakai Zeigler (Junior): 5-foot-9. Averages: 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.1 blocks, 3.3 turnovers.
Forward Jonas Aidoo (Junior): 6-foot-11. Averages: 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.6 blocks, 0.7 steals, 0.9 turnovers.
Tennessee's rotation
The Volunteers feature three players off the bench that average 10-plus minutes. Jordan Gainey tallies 7.6 points per game while Tobe Awaka grabs 4.5 boards per contest. Jahmai Mashack averages 17.5 minutes averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds.
KenPom tracks adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, which are points scored and allowed per possession. In terms of KenPom's overall rankings, the Tigers are 143rd while the Volunteers sit at fifth.
Adjusted offensive efficiency
Tennessee: 119.0 (15th nationally)
Missouri: 108.0 (139th nationally)
Adjusted defensive efficiency
Tennessee: 92.3 (5th nationally)
Missouri: 105.9 (172nd)
Tempo
Tennessee :69.4 (88th nationally)
Missouri: 67.0 (227th)
Tennessee 95, Missouri 73: Tennessee is arguably the best team that Missouri will see during the 2023-24 season. The Volunteers are efficient on both ends of the floor and Knecht has been a force on the court. Missouri will keep playing confidently, but Tennessee is too much to handle.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri basketball vs. Tennessee: Prediction, scouting report
