The No. 12 Missouri Tigers will host the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers in an SEC showdown on Wednesday night. Both teams moved up in the latest AP top-25 poll after the two schools went undefeated in their matchups last week.
Match Details
Fixture: Tennessee Volunteers vs Missouri Tigers - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Wednesday, December 30th, 2020, 9 PM ET
Venue: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
Tennessee Volunteers Preview
The Tennessee Volunteers are a team full of depth. They have 8 players who are averaging over 14 minutes a game. That may go up to nine as the sophomore forward, Olivier Nkamhoua, played 13 minutes in the previous game against the South Carolina Upstate.
To make the next leap in their season and become legitimate contenders, the Volunteers will need to shoot the ball more consistently.
The Tennessee Volunteers shot 41% from the field and 2 of 10 from 3-point in their game against the South Carolina Upstate Spartans.
Key Player - Victor Bailey Jr.
The Tennesse Volunteers' key player is Victor Bailey Jr. The transfer from Oregon leads the team in scoring with 13.2 points a game on 50% shooting.
For the Volunteers to remain number one in SEC, Bailey Jr. will need to continue notching up his typical season averages.
Tennessee Volunteers Predicted Lineup
F John Fulkerson, F Yves Pons, G Victor Bailey Jr., G Josiah-Jordan James, G Santiago Vescovi
Missouri Tigers Preview
The Missouri Tigers are coming off a scare where their undefeated season was threatened by the Bradley Braves.
The Tigers were down eight points with only four minutes to go. However, they closed out the game on a run and snuck out with a 54-43 win to maintain a perfect streak and go to 6-0.
This has been the best start for the Tigers basketball program since 2010, and they have their defense to thank for that. They have not allowed a team to score over 78 points all season.
Heading into their SEC opener against the Tennessee Volunteers, the Missouri Tigers will need to maintain their defensive efficiency to earn them their third win against a ranked side in the AP top 25 this season.
Key Player - Xavier Pinson
Xavier Pinson is the key player for the Missouri Tigers. He leads the Tigers in both points and assists this season.
The junior guard will need to notch up his play even more to take out the talented Tennessee Volunteers.
Missouri Tigers Predicted Lineup
F Jeremiah Tilmon, F Kobe Brown, G Dru Smith, G Mark Smith, G Xavier Pinson
Tennessee vs Missouri Prediction
The Tennessee Volunteers will likely hand the Missouri Tigers their first loss of the season. The Volunteers will use their depth to their advantage and look to play a fast-paced game that tires out the Tigers.
Where to watch Tennesee vs Missouri
The game will be broadcasted live on the SEC Network.
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