Get to Know: Revamped Roster Paying Dividends Early For Missouri

First-year head coach Dennis Gates has compiled a new-look Tiger squad that is playing solid basketball entering SEC play

This Wednesday, Dec. 28, Kentucky basketball will open Southeastern Conference play on the road, taking on the surprisingly-impressive Missouri Tigers.

Mizzou Arena will host a sold-out crowd as the Wildcats seek momentum entering 2023, while the Tigers are coming off of their largest win over a ranked opponent in 12 years.

While Kentucky leads the all-time series 14-2, both of Missouri's wins have come in Columbia. Here's what you need to know about the Tigers: 

• KenPom Rating: 42 (7th in SEC) 
• Picked to finish 11th in preseason media poll
• Split two meetings with UK last season, winning 75-70 in Columbia, losing 83-56 in Lexington
• ESPN Analytics' Matchup Predictor gives Kentucky a 65.6 percent chance of winning

The Record (11-1) 

Notable Games: 

• Nov. 29: 88-84 W @ Wichita State 
• Dec. 10: 67-95 L vs. No. 6 Kansas
• Dec. 17: 68-66 W @ UCF (in Sunrise, FL)
• Dec. 22: 93-71 W vs. No. 16 Illinois (Neutral in St. Louis)

• There really isn't much to brag about when it comes to the Tigers' schedule, as it's the 318th-toughest in the nation, per KenPom
• Kansas and Illinois are the only two Power Five teams that Mizzou has played up to this point
• In the 12 games, Mizzou has scored 80 or more points 10 times 
• The lone loss to the Jayhawks in the Border Showdown was a reality check, as the 67 points were a season-low and a poor performance in front of a home crowd 
• The win over Illinois was quite the opposite, however, as Mizzou shot nearly 60 percent from the floor 

Coach Dennis Gates

• After excelling in his first head-coaching gig at Cleveland State from 2019-22, Mizzou hired Dennis Gates to replace Cuonzo Martin
• After playing at California from 1998-2002, he began his coaching career as a GA at Marquette 
• He would then make stops as an assistant at Florida State, Cal, Northern Illinois and Nevada before becoming Cleveland State HC
• Won the Horizon League regular season championship twice in 2021 and 2022, also won the conference tournament in 2021. He is a two-time Horizon League Coach of the Year 
• Overall head coaching record entering Wednesday against UK is 61-41

D'Moi Hodge is bringing points to the party

• Graduate guard D'Moi Hodge transferred to Mizzou from Cleveland State and has transitioned well, averaging a team-high 16.7 points-per-game 
• Hodge has scored at least 15 points in nine games this season. He is one of eight players that transferred to Mizzou this season.
• He's been a rainmaker from deep, making multiple 3-pointers in all but one game this year and is shooting 42 percent from behind the arc. He has made at least three treys in nine consecutive games 
• Hodge wrangles in 4.1 rebounds-per-game. He's also supremely careful with the basketball, having committed just six turnovers with notching 34 steals 
• One knock on Hodge is free-throw shooting, as he's just 65 percent from the stripe

Other important players to monitor

• Veteran guard-forward Kobe Brown remains in the picture for the Tigers. He averages 14.4 PPG and a team-high 5.7 RPG
• Is coming off of a career-high 31 points in the win over Illinois. Also had a career-high eight assists. Brown won't shoot threes near as much as Hodge, but he is shooting them at a 44-percent clip
• Senior forward Noah Carter transferred in from Northern Iowa and is providing 10.8 PPG and 4.8 RPG, while veteran point guard Nick Honor entered from Clemson and adds 10.5 PPG and a team-best 3.4 assists-per-game.
• Honor shoots 3-pointers at 46 percent. Milwaukee transfer DeAndre Gholston also eclipses double-digit points at 10.4 PPG. He has scored 10 or more points in three consecutive games
• Gates has 10 players averaging 10 or more minutes-per-game 

Full Mizzou Stat Box

Via MUTigers.com and Mizzou Athletics

Other important stats

• Mizzou averages 88.8 PPG, the fourth-best scoring offense in the country
• Shooting 3-pointers at 36.9 percent, the 64th-best mark in the land. Has made 10 or more threes in seven games
• Forces 19.83 turnovers-per-game, seventh-best in the nation
• Ninth in assist-turnover ratio at 1.58
• Adjusted offensive efficiency (KenPom) is top-10, while adjusted defensive efficiency is top-150
• Averages 73.1 possessions per 40 minutes, 23rd-highest tempo in college basketball

Tip-off between the Wildcats and Tigers is set for 7 p.m. EST on Dec. 28. The game will air on SEC Network.

Kentucky basketball's early season report card can be found here.

COLUMN: Patience not guaranteed to yield success for Kentucky basketball

More on the victory over Florida A&M here.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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