It will be a battle between Southeastern opponents when the Arkansas Razorbacks (12-14) welcome the Missouri Tigers (10-16) to Bud Walton Arena. The game starts at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and will air on SEC and ES3.
The Tigers are coming off a 72-67 win over South Carolina on Tuesday. Ryan Rosburg shot 5 for 8 and led in scoring with 18 points.
The Razorbacks should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank 21st in the nation at avoiding errors (TO% of 15.6%). Meanwhile, Missouri forces the 82nd-fewest turnovers in the nation (17.3%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Razorbacks won the first game 94-61. Kingsley was a standout player in the game, producing 24 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and four blocks.
The Razorbacks enter the game with records of 12-14 Straight Up (SU) and 12-10 Against The Spread (ATS). They have been better ATS (7-3) than SU (2-8) over their last 10 games. The Razorbacks have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire nation, averaging 79.7 points per game. Arkansas is excellent from the perimeter, shooting a stellar .405 from three-point range. Arkansas has the 22nd-most assists in Division I, averaging 16.6 per game. Turning to the defensive side, an area where the Razorbacks are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.4 blocks per game, 21st in Division I. Arkansas has given up very few turnovers with an average of only 11.4 per game.
Across the court, the Tigers fare well ATS, sitting at 14-9-1. However, they are only 10-16 SU. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Tigers on the defensive end. They allowed 76.9 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 71.0.
Arkansas beat Missouri in their most recent meeting this season, moving its SU record against Missouri to 6-4 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The Tigers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3. Arkansas held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five games, while Missouri wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ark, ATS Winner – Ark
Notes
“Arkansas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arkansas’s last 7 games “.
“Arkansas is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“Arkansas is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arkansas’s last 6 games at home”.
“Arkansas is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Missouri”.
“Arkansas is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Missouri”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arkansas’s last 6 games when playing Missouri”.
“Arkansas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Missouri”.
“Arkansas is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Missouri”.
Arkansas averages 79.7 points per game (ranked 34th). Missouri, on the other hand, allows 71.0 points per game (ranked 137th).
Ranked 90th, the Arkansas Razorbacks have an offensive rating of 109.5. The Missouri Tigers rank 207th with a defensive rating of just 104.9.
Missouri has an average field goal percentage of 41.8%. Arkansas is a subpar 4-12 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Arkansas Razorbacks and the Missouri Tigers both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Arkansas is 197th and 147th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Missouri ranks 307th and 278th in these categories.
The Arkansas Razorbacks rank 22nd in assists per game with an average of 16.6. The Missouri Tigers are among the worst in the country with 11.5 assists per game (ranked 302nd).
The Arkansas Razorbacks average 5.4 blocks per game, the 21st-ranked team in the country. The Missouri Tigers rank a lowly 246th in blocking with just 2.8 per game.
The Arkansas Razorbacks average 7.6 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Missouri Tigers have a losing record (2-5) this season.
