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Arkansas and Missouri will play for the second time this season on Saturday. Missouri will look for more of the same, as they won the first matchup 83-79 in overtime. However, Arkansas hopes things will go differently for them at home.
The First Matchup
In the Razorbacks and Tigers’ first game on February 8th, rebounding was the difference. The Razorbacks were outrebounded 52-35 by Missouri. The Tigers also had five more offensive rebounds, which led to more second-chance opportunities. Still, the game was very close despite the major rebounding differences.
The teams also shot below 40 percent from the field, and both teams were close to 20 percent from the three-point line. Both Arkansas and Missouri will need to shoot better to get a win Saturday.
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Missouri Heating Up
The Missouri Tigers have won three of their last four, beginning with that win at home against Arkansas. The Tigers’ only loss in that stretch was a tough road loss to LSU, 82-78. Missouri had the lead at the half in Baton Rouge, but couldn’t hold on. Also, during this stretch, Missouri picked up a big home win against Auburn, 85-73. This past Tuesday, Missouri defeated Ole miss at home, 71-68.
In this four-game stretch, Missouri has won all three of its games at home. The Tigers will need a win on the road Saturday to keep that momentum going.
Struggling Razorbacks
The Arkansas Razorbacks are currently on a five-game losing streak. However, two of those losses were in overtime, with one being to Auburn at home, and the other to Missouri. Also, the Razorbacks lost at home in the last second to Mississippi State. The other two losses were to Tennessee and Florida on the road, and the Razorbacks lost each game by more than 10 points.
Arkansas will look to end the losing streak at home where they have an 11-4 record this season.
SEC Tournament Implications
As it stands right now, this game is the line between playing on day one of the SEC Tournament or day two. Missouri is the 10 seed, while Arkansas is the 11 seed. Both teams will want that extra day of rest, which means this game is very important in the SEC standings.
