Missouri will try to advance to the championship round of the Paradise Jam when it takes on Oregon State on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers didn’t play their best basketball in the first game against Kennesaw State, yet still came away with a 55-52 victory.
As for the Beavers, they earned a 61-56 win over Old Dominion in their first round matchup.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this tournament matchup.
Game Details
- Missouri (2-1) vs. Oregon State (3-0)
- Location: Virgin Islands Sport and Fitness Center – St. Thomas, VI
- Game Date: Nov. 18
- Game Time: 5:30 p.m. EST
- Watch: FloHoops
Players to Watch
Kevin Puryear (Missouri)
After struggling to find much of a rhythm in the team’s first two games, the 6-7 senior had 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting and grabbed six rebounds in the Kennesaw State win.
It’s clear that the Tigers are trying to figure a lot of things out offensively after losing Jontay Porter for the season, and Puryear will need to be one of the top scoring options if this team wants to get back to the NCAA Tournament for a second-straight year.
Jeremiah Tilmon (Missouri)
Tilmon will also be a big part of what Missouri does on both sides of the court, with the 6-10 sophomore averaging 11.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks through three games.
If Tilmon can find a little more efficiency on offense (46.7 percent FG) and stay out of foul trouble (which was an issue last season), he can be one of the better forwards in the SEC this season.
Tres Tinkle (Oregon State)
Tinkle continues to be a force for the Beavers, as evidenced by 20.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game through the team’s first three contests.
The 6-8 junior is going to put up a lot of shots, so there’s no doubt that Cuonzo Martin’s squad will need to know where he is at all times in this one.
Key Stats
This will not be an up-tempo type of game, with both teams ranking 316th or lower in adjusted tempo right now.
The biggest concerns for Missouri will come on the offensive side of the court, where the Tigers have had significant struggles both shooting and taking care of the ball.
Martin’s team is making just 42.6 percent of its shots from the floor (245th nationally) and shooting 29.0 percent from beyond the arc (273rd nationally) while holding a 23.9 percent turnover rate (311th nationally).
On the Oregon State side of things, one notable number is that 61.1 percent of its points have come from 3-point range (19th nationally).
It’s also worth mentioning that the Beavers rank 11th in the country in average height, so that size could help make a difference against the Missouri frontcourt.
Game Outlook
- Spread: Oregon State -2.5
- Over/Under: 134
- KenPom Projection: Oregon State, 50 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Missouri 62.5 percent chance to win
It’s really hard to look beyond Missouri’s offensive struggles at this point.
The Tigers will certainly get better as the season progresses, and they should zone in on a rotation that can produce somewhat consistent scoring on offense.
However, it hasn’t been pretty thus far, and that’s concerning going up against a more experienced team that limits mistakes.
As we always say, these types of neutral court games can produce weird results, and the Tigers will present similar defensive challenges like the ones Oregon State faced against Old Dominion.
But if we go by recent results and Missouri’s lackluster showing in the win over Kennesaw State, the Beavers just feel like the better pick.
Season Prediction Record (straight up): 35-5
Game Prediction: Oregon State 65, Missouri 61
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.