Game Information
Missouri Tigers (21-10) vs Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-11) - SEC Tournament Second Round
Time: 6pm CST Thursday
How to watch: SEC Network
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Missouri -3.5
Total: 156.5
KenPom projection: Missouri 81, Mississippi State 78
Mizzou Opens Postseason
The Missouri Tigers begin their postseason journey tonight when they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
Mizzou enjoyed a bye yesterday, while Mississippi State advanced with a 91-62 blowout win over LSU. The winner of tonight’s matchup advances to meet Florida in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
How Do Tigers Respond To Late Struggles?
Missouri comes into this game with plenty of question marks following losses in four of its final five games of the regular season. The Tigers’ defense struggled in particular down the stretch, allowing 90 or more points in five of the final six games. They finished the regular season as the second worst team in the SEC in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.
Mizzou should come into this game with some confidence though after dismantling this same Mississippi State team 88-61 back on February 1st in Starkville.
Bulldogs Also Struggled Late
Mississippi State had similar late season struggles with defeats in four of its final five regular season games before beating LSU last night. The Bulldogs’ defense allowed an average of 90.6 points per game during that five-game stretch.
The defensive struggles have certainly played a part in the over cashing in 59% of Mississippi State’s games this season.
My Lean
As a Mizzou fan, I’m frankly very nervous about this game. Does the SEC Tournament provide a clean slate for the Tigers? Or do their late struggles carry over to the postseason?
The answer… I have no idea.
What I’m most confident of though is we will see plenty of points in this game.
As stated above, both of these teams really struggled on the defensive end down the stretch after being solid defensive clubs most of the season. I think it’s very possible these teams have been “found out” in terms of how best to attack them.
We saw the over cash in the previous meeting between these two teams this season, and if I had to wager on this game, I’d bet on it happening again.
Lean: Over 156.5 at -108 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the Sports Hub STL YouTube channel. Click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Disclaimer