Bracketology 2023: WVU, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma among teams with key games

Missouri 18-6 (6-5) at No. 6 Tennessee 19-5 (8-3)

Missouri has had a surprising year for Dennis Gates. The Tigers were picked to finish 11th in the SEC and are currently 18-6 and in 6th place in the conference. They travel to Knoxville on Saturday to face No. 6 Tennessee who has had their struggles offensively of late. Right now, Missouri is in that No. 10-11 seed range, but a road win over the volunteers would certainly boost their resume.

The Tigers have four wins over ranked teams this season including Illinois and Arkansas. Of the SEC teams in the at-large conversation, the Tigers have arguably the easiest remaining schedule with this game against Tennessee is the only one against a team ranked higher than 32nd in the NET.

Tennessee is the best defensive team in the country, but Missouri is also one of the best offensive teams in the land. They average 82 points per game, have a two-point percentage of 57.3, and are 9th in offensive efficiency. Not only has the offense been key for the Tigers, but their ability to cherish the ball and force turnovers has been a linchpin for them. They turn it over less than 12 times per game and force nearly 18 each game.

All of the Tigers’ losses qualify as quad 1 losses and their three wins in the first quadrant are good ones over Illinois, Arkansas, and Iowa State. This game is Missouri’s last chance to move its seed needle before the conference tournament.