Recent Match:Missouri basketball vs Kentucky: Scouting report, score prediction for regular-season finale
Missouri basketball, ranked No. 19/15, will play No. 24/19 Kentucky on Saturday at Mizzou Arena in a top-20 match to end the regular season. ESPN will broadcast the game starting at 11 a.m. By all accounts, there ought to be some fireworks in this finale.
According to analytics site KenPom, the game pits the nation’s fifth and sixth-ranked offenses against each other. Neither team has a defense ranked in the top 50, which could lead to a high-scoring contest. Mizzou (21-9, 10-7 SEC) has lost three of its last four games and is now guaranteed a single bye in the SEC Tournament. A top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament also seems unlikely following a Wednesday night loss at Oklahoma.
With a victory, Kentucky (20-10, 9-8) can pass Mizzou in the SEC rankings. Mark Pope’s Wildcats defeated LSU 95-64 in Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday.
Kentucky rates as one of the most efficient and free-scoring offenses in the nation, but there’s one stat that should concern Missouri fans more than most. The Wildcats, according to CBB Analytics, score 37.5 points per game in the paint, which is the second-best mark in the SEC. Given Mizzou’s recent troubles guarding the inside, that’s a potential problem for the Tigers.
This season, UK’s 3-point % is just lower than Missouri’s. The offensive rating of the Wildcats is among the highest in the nation. In SEC play, Pope’s club has only been held below 70 points twice.
