Tennessee vs Missouri: Volunteers Back to Full Strength for SEC Matchup
The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team has yet another ranked matchup on their hands against the Missouri Tigers. Tennessee is fresh off of a win against Florida last weekend, but they have another tough test against the Tigers at home on Wednesday night.
Missouri has been impressive this season. In their last five games, they have wins on the road against Florida and Mississippi State and home wins against Ole Miss and Arkansas. The Volunteers on the other hand spuddered for a brief moment as they lost two straight to Kentucky and Auburn, but got right back on the horse by beating the Gators last weekend by 20 points. They did so without starting guard Zakai Zeigler and starting big man Igor Milicic Jr.
The good news for Tennessee though is they get Zeigler and Milicic Jr. back for their game against Missouri. Zeigler currently leads the team in assists per game with 7.4 and Milicic Jr. leads the team in rebounds per game with 8.4. Two major get-backs for the lineup.
Tennessee has struggled a bit as of late shooting the ball and they can’t afford to have another poor shooting performance against Missouri. The Tigers are averaging 83.4 points per game compared to Tennessee’s 74.5. However, the Volunteers are allowing just 58.6 points per game while Missouri is allowing an average of 68.6.
The Volunteers are already considered a lock for the NCAA March Madness tournament as they are ranked No. 4 in the country right now, but they can’t just coast the rest of the way. They will need to finish the regular season strong in order to lock up one of the top seeds in the tournament when selection rolls around.
The Tennessee Volunteers are set to face the Missouri Tigers in an SEC basketball matchup, with Tennessee returning to full strength.
Team Records and Rankings:
- Tennessee Volunteers: Ranked No. 4 nationally, the Volunteers hold an 18-4 overall record and a 5-4 mark in SEC play.
Missouri Tigers: Ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches poll, the Tigers boast a 17-4 overall record and lead the SEC with a 6-2 conference record
