Missouri Looks for First SEC Win Against Tennessee

The Tennessee Volunteers and Missouri Tigers are set to face off in an SEC showdown on Tuesday night. The Vols sit in second place of the SEC meanwhile Missouri looks for its first conference win of the season.

The Vols in the Polls

Vols in the polls 📈

• 10th straight week in the AP Top 10
• Barnes' 150th week in the AP Top 10 pic.twitter.com/H4UNmAcZiF

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) February 19, 2024

The Tennessee Volunteers are currently in second place in the SEC and No.5 overall in the AP Poll. They have spent the last 10 weeks in the AP Top 10. Coming off of an 88-53 win against Vanderbilt on Saturday, the Vols look to lock in their third straight win Tuesday when they face the Missouri Tigers.

Season of Struggles for Missouri

Missouri nearly earned its first SEC win on Saturday against Ole Miss, but ultimately fell short with a final score of 79-76. They’ll give it another shot against the Vols, but it is looking like an upset bid for the Tigers. Missouri is holding a 0-12 conference record. With only six games remaining in the regular season, the clock’s running out for them to secure an SEC win.

No. 8 Tennessee out to continue Missouri's 12-game skid #Vol_Hoops #MizzouHoops #MIZ #ZOU #ToTheFinishLine https://t.co/sraRSfhhSk

— FieldLevelMedia (@FieldLevelMedia) February 19, 2024

With an 8-17 record this season, Missouri is not playing how they were predicted to look this year. Head coach Dennis Gates brought in some players that were supposed to clean up both ends of the court. Although, it’s looking like a few pieces are still missing. Their inconsistency on both sides of the court is the reason they are allowing an average of 74.5 points per game.

Tennessee A Nightmare Matchup for Missouri

No.5 Tennessee has been a consistently good team all season, and one of the best teams in the country. The Volunteers are walking into this matchup with a two-game win streak, with an average winning margin of 32.0 points. Meanwhile, Missouri is averaging total of 72.2 points per game. Tennessee is averaging 80.4, which could be a problem for the Tigers. Senior Dalton Knecht leads the Vols in points this season with an average of 20.1 per game. Missouri’s lead scorer is senior Sean East II, averaging 16 points per game.

SEC Player of the Week

his name is Jonas

and he's the SEC Player of the Week

• 17.0 PPG
• 10.0 RPG
• 1.5 BPG
• 2 Ws

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) February 19, 2024

As if Tennessee needed any more momentum coming to Columbia Tuesday night, one of their starting forwards, Jonas Aidoo was named SEC Player of the Week. Aidoo, a six-foot-11 junior, has joined Knecht in averaging double digits this season.

Missouri securing a win against the Volunteers isn’t entirely impossible. Although, it would be extremely difficult. Most of the games Tennessee has lost have been to fellow powerhouse teams. As far as Missouri looking to lock in its first SEC win, this isn’t looking like the game it will occur.