Yay basketball!
I beg you, it’s an exhibition game, do not read too much into any results. Kansas State brings their shade of lavender back to Mizzou Arena for the first time since a 10 point loss to the Wildcats in 2012.
If you forgot, Mizzou was pretty awesome that season but Frank Martin’s K-State squad had their number. Missouri was ranked 3rd in the country and it was the second loss to Martin and the Wildcats on the season. The two teams have played each other since then, with two neutral site games in 2015 and again in 2018. But the last time the Tigers beat K-State was in 2011.
Again, this game doesn’t count, and will not go into the official stats. But it’s always nice to win.
How to Watch: Missouri vs Kansas State
- When | 9:00 p.m. CT
- Where | Mizzou Arena; Columbia, Mo.
- TV | SEC Network
- Stream | ESPN+, WatchESPN
- Radio | Tiger Radio Network // Sirius/XM -119/199
- Twitter | @MizzouHoops
Yes the game is on regular SEC Network. It was a tight call between a live basketball game or a replay of the 2016 South Carolina-Vanderbilt football game. SC won that game 13-10, btw. But thankfully real hoops won out, even if it doesn’t count!
The Starters
Mizzou (0-0) — these are guesses, there’s no telling what Gates will do to be honest.
G: Anthony Robinson II (JR)
G: Sebastian Mack (JR)
F: Jacob Crews (SR)
F: Mark Mitchell (SR)
C:Shawn Philllips (SR)
Notable Bench Players: Trent Pierce (JR), Annor Boateng (SO), Jevon Porter (SR)
Kansas State (0-0)
G: P.J. Haggerty (JR)
G: Nate Johnson (SR)
F: Andrej Kostic (FR)
F: Elias Rapieque (JR)
F: Khamari McGriff (SR)
Notable Bench Players: Mobi Ikegwuruka (JR), Marcus Johnson (SR), CJ Jones (SR), Abdi Bashir (JR)
Note: These starting lineups are not only projected but at this stage just guesses, for Kansas State I just used C.J. Moores projected lineup from the Athletics preview of the Big 12.
Get to know Kansas State: Jerooooooooome Taaaaaaaaaaang
Tang has been in Manhattan for three years plus now and after some excellent heights in year one, things have sank back to two mediocre seasons. An Elite 8 run in 2023, then back to back missed tournaments as Tang has relied heavily on the transfer portal to fix roster holes. And he’s found tougher sledding attracting recruits to central Kansas than expected, despite some deep pockets.
Tang is still well regarded as a coach, so it’s very possible or even likely he gets things moving in the right direction. The Big 12 is an unforgiving place at times. But Tang has been given the resources and the time and patience of a passionate fan base.
0 Keys to the Game
Show up, have fun, don’t get anyone hurt
I’m going to keep hammering on this, but this game doesn’t matter. What you’re hoping to get out of it is some real game experience against some other high major opponenets for everyone on your roster. The top of the rotation will be out there early, but you want some of your younger guys to hit some adversity and to play through it.
Obviously you want your team to play well, and look good doing so. But we have several guys on the roster who we expect will be fine regardless of what happens tonight. Don’t worry about Anthony Robinson or Mark Mitchell. Don’t sweat if Jacob Crews misses more shots than he makes. Watch the rotation early to see where Gates is developing his trust in the young season. Keep your eyes on what guys like T.O. Barrett and Annor Boateng do when they’re in the game.
But hopefully we’ll get to see some extended run from all 14 guys.
Game Prediction
My prediction: Both teams have a good time
KenPom has Mizzou ranked 28th preseason, and K-State ranked 61st. The Tigers NetRtg (what KP used to call AdjustedEM, EM = efficiency margin) is +20.14, while the Wildcats is +13.50. That’s a difference of 6.64 per 100 possessions. Doing some napkin math, that’s about 0.06 points per possession difference on a neutral floor, with Mizzou being a home team, and guessing they hit something like 72 possessions tonight, I’ll give Mizzou an 8 point home advantage and say KenPom would put the score something like 83-75.
That said, I don’t think this score matters either way. And both teams will likely play a lot of guys.
Predict the Trifecta: Who will be Mizzou’s top three performers tonight?
I don’t plan on running a Study Hall after this game, but I will run the numbers to determine what things looked like because I’m a weirdo. I’ll probably hop in the comments once they’re run and post the trifecta.
