Tennessee vs. Missouri: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

The two best teams in the SEC face off this week between Missouri and Tennessee. Can the Tigers make a major statement with a win?

TV Schedule: Wednesday, December, 30, 9 p.m. ET, SECN.

Arena: Mizzou Arena in Columbia, MO.

Over the past decade, Kentucky has made their staple within the conference as being a threat to win the championship every year. So it makes sense that the premier matchup in the conference in 2020 is Missouri vs. Tennessee.

Both of these teams have exceeded early-season expectations and has more resume-building wins left on the schedule. The more proven team at this point is Missouri while boasting two quality wins over Oregon and Illinois.

The Tigers are led on the season by trio guards in Xavier Pinson, alongside Mark and Dru Smith. Pinson is the guard that attacks near the rim and facilitator with 3.7 assists on shooting 38% from the field. Even with those, he leads the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game and shoots 84 percent from the free throw line.

The Smith duo although not related, have very similar numbers. Both are three-point shooters and shoot over 33 percent on the season up to this point. Mark Smith is more efficient with shooting nearly 44 percent, but have the exact same free throw numbers at 87 percent.

This is a veteran-heavy squad, with four starters as upperclassmen and their leading scorer off the bench also being a junior in Javon Pickett.

Cuonzo Martin has done a great job with the program after Kim Anderson went 27-65 in his three years with the Tigers. Martin went 20-13 in his first season and making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.

After two near .500 seasons, Martin has his own players and is off to a fantastic start. The Tigers are currently on a seven-game winning streak, which is the longest since 2013 and the streak goes back to the end of last season. After being ranked 10th according to SEC and national media members, they are shattering expectations.

Martin is very familiar with the Volunteers as he was the head coach in Knoxville from 2011-2014 when Bruce Pearl departed. The Volunteers are also coming off a rather underwhelming reason after back to back 25+ win seasons.

Tennessee finished at 9-9 in the SEC and 17-14 on the season. Heading into the season, a lot of attention was pegged on the duo of Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson. Both were the crown jewels of the 2020 recruiting class, ranking in the Top 25 nationally.

Springer is third on the team in scoring but is the best three-point shooter on limited shots with 66 percent. Junior Victor Bailey has been the leading scorer for the Vols, averaging 13 points on 50/35/90 splits on the young season. The transfer from Oregon had to sit out last season and redshirted.

Bailey is coming off his best two games of the season, scoring 18 against St. Joseph’s and USC Upstate. Bailey also shot a combined 4-11 from beyond the arc and 13-25 from the field.

Tennessee is elite on the defensive end, giving up just 52.7 points per game, 2nd in the nation. The problem has been the Volunteers rank 164th in strength of schedule and they have not left their home in Knoxville at any point this season.

Two nine-point wins over Colorado and Cincinnati have been the premiere wins on the schedule and will get much tougher heading forward. Meanwhile, the Tigers have been challenged by two of the best teams in each team’s respected power five conferences in the Big 10 and Pac 12.

One way the Volunteers can win this game is by winning in the frontcourt. The Volunteers average five blocks a game and is ranked 41st in the nation in rebounding. Missouri’s strengths are in their backcourt and this could be a big game for John Fulkerson, who is second on the team in rebounds.

Keys for Missouri will be their experience against quality teams, alongside getting to the foul line early and often. Even the matchup of Dru Smith vs. Jaden Springer can be a difference-maker. Smith has averaged just over two steals per game over the past three years, leading back to his first two seasons in college in Evansville.

Missouri backcourt ends up being enough and Tennessee can not respond with the mismatches in the paint against Missouri’s bigs. Missouri improves to 7-0 and the improbable climb and Cinderella beginning for the Tigers continues.

Prediction: #12 Missouri 72, #8 Tennessee 65