Mizzou vs Minnesota
When | 7:00 p.m. CT
Where | Mizzou Arena; Columbia, MO
TV | SECN+
Radio | Tiger Radio Network
Twitter | @MizzouHoops
ESPN win probability | 74.3% chance
The Starters
Mizzou (3-0)
G: Anthony Robinson II (JR, 9.0 PPG in 24-25)
G: Sebastian
Mack (JR, 9.6 PPG in 24-25 at UCLA)
F: Jevon Porter (SR, 12.5 PPG in 24-25 at Pepperdine)
F: Mark Mitchell (SR, 13.9 PPG in 24-25)
C: Shawn Phillips, Jr. (SR, 5.4 PPG in 24-25 at Arizona State)
Notable Sixth Man: Jayden Stone (SR, 20.8 in 23-24 at Detroit Mercy)
Minnesota (2-0)
F: Robert Vaihola (SR, 7.5 PPG in 24-25 at San Jose State)
F: Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (JR, 9.0 PPG in 24-25 at Colorado State)
G: Chaney Willis Jr. (JR, 16.8 PPG in 24-25 at Western Michigan)
G: Isaac Asuma (SO, 5.6 PPG in 24-25)
G: Cade Tyson (SR, 2.6 PPG in 24-25 at North Carolina)
Notable Sixth Man: Langston Reynolds (SR, 16.0 PPG in 24-25 at Northern Colorado)
Note: these starting lineups are projected.
Get to know the Minnesota Gophers
From Sam Snelling’s preseason preview:
Minnesota has had periods of success but they haven’t seen the NCAA Tournament since 2019, and haven’t been a protected seed since 1997. The Gophers are one of many programs who have struggled to find consistency in the changing landscape of college basketball. Just 14 NCAA appearances which is ahead of only Rutgers, Nebraska, Penn State, and Northwestern in the Big 10. There are 8 teams in the league with more conference championships than Minny has appearances.
The last time the Tigers played the Gophers was two years ago and ot was…. interesting. At one point, Mizzou trailed by 20 points but Sean East and the group found a way to rally for a win. Anthony Robinson II and Trent Pierce were freshmen at the time and are the only Tigers returning from that game. Meanwhile, no players from the 2023 Minnesota team are still on the roster.
Head Coach Niko Medved pretty much cleared house in the offseason and are returning two players: Issac Asuma (24.7 mpg and 5.6 ppg) and Erick Readers (only played one minute). Medved added nine players to this year’s roster via the transfer portal.
Two of the players added to the Gophers were Cade Tyson and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson. Tyson started at North Carolina before moving to Belmont and has now landed with Minnesota. Against Alcorn State, the senior became the first Gopher to score 30 points in his debut. Also against Alcorn, Crocker-Johnson collected his second double-double in just as many games.
Both these players are the keys to the Gopher’s style of play and are my “to watch” players against the Tigers.
Expectations are modest in Medved’s first year. The Gophers are slated 83rd in BartTorvik.com’s early season rankings. That’s good for 16th in the 18 team Big 10 conference.
Missouri will look to even out the all-time series record as they currently have a 1-2 record against the Gophers.
3 Keys to the Game
Start Fast
Through the first three games a worry that keeps appearing is Missouri’s habit of easing into a game. They’ve kept it tight, especially with their last two opponents, and now with their toughest opponent coming to Columbia it’s time to shake off the rust. The Tigers need to set the tone early and maintain dominance for all forty minutes. I think rhythm and confidence in the first ten minutes are crucial. A smooth defense, limiting turnovers and creating energy also ties into this key.
You Can’t Teach Height
This Missouri team is tall.
In fact, VMI head coach Andrew Wilson did not hold back about this characteristic about the Tigers in his postgame presser:
“We’re not accustomed to playing against size and strength like that, and they took us out of rhythm, and we struggled to get stops within our zone. So credit to Missouri …. Well, it seemed like, with [Phillips Jr] being out, they just put another seven footer out there. I mean, Missouri is absolutely massive … going through the handshake line, I’m just looking up at everybody.”
Minnesota also isn’t a short team, but they also don’t have a single player listed at 7 foot, Missouri has two. With this in mind, it will be important for the Tigers to drive the paint and use it to their advantage like they did against VMI. Additionally, if they can make a team uncomfortable in the lane and then dish it out to the perimeter, Mizzou could seal this away quickly.
Free Throws. Again, they are free.
This was a key I’ve listed before, but it remains just as important now. The Tigers have been struggling from the free throw line and these baskets are crucial when it comes to a power five opponent, this group can’t afford to leave easy points on the board. I also expect this to be a physical match with the Tigers driving the lane leaving many opportunities for the team at the charity stripe.
Injury Report
Dennis Gates announced that the team will still be without Trent Pierce, Annor Boateng and Trent Burns. However, Shawn Phillips Jr. will be back in action after missing Sunday’s tilt due to an illness.
Pierce has been practicing with the team; however, Gates has kept him out of the action all season so far. The details of his injury have still not been revealed.
Annor Boateng is also dealing with an undisclosed injury, but according to Gates he is day-to-day.
Burns had foot surgery in the offseason and will be out for an undetermined amount of time. The original timeline had him set to miss the first four weeks of non-conference play.
Game Prediction
My prediction: Mizzou 87, Minnesota 73
Minnesota is predicted to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten Conference, but that doesn’t mean they won’t put up a fight against the Tigers. If Mizzou can leverage its size and control the paint, I think they will be able to pull away early on. Minnesota is also in a ‘rebuild’ of sorts but will still bring grit and toughness to the court on Wednesday night.
