Previewing Mizzou

Photo Attribution: Icon SMI

OSU will win… if Cobbins and Cezar play really well. You mostly know what you’re going to get from Keiton (20 points), Markel (12-5-5), and Brian Williams (15-5) at this point, but those two are the big wild cards. Cobbins has actually performed really well against the Tigers this year (the evidence being his adjusted game score here) and he needs at least a double-double tonight for OSU to keep it close.

OSU will lose… if they play inefficiently. Mizzou only gets up about two more shots a game than the Cowboys, but their 1.19 points per possession lead the country (OSU is 197th at 1.0 PPP) and their true shooting percentage (FG/3P/FT) is second nationally.

Stat you should know – In the first two games between these two teams, OSU actually scored more points per shot (1.27) than Missouri did (1.23). h/t Rock M Nation

Wow – Tonight will mark OSU’s 135th game since Keiton Page enrolled in school. He will have played in 134 of them. That’s pretty crazy.

Uh-oh – We could be in “Cezar thinks he’s Walt Frazier” territory here after his stout performance last night. I’m not saying that’s going to happen, and I don’t think it will, but it could.

Line (Mizzou -11.5) – Unfortunately like the Tigers here.

I could see… OSU hang with a strong first half and then get obliterated in the second half when the whole “we basically played five guys 38 minutes a game in conference play” thing sets in.

The pick -Mizzou – 81 OSU – 68