How Tennessee Matches Up With Missouri

Tennessee doesn't have time to sulk after a loss; they must turn right around and prepare for a tournament-level Missouri team.

Tennessee won't have long to think about the loss to Vanderbilt on Wednesday night. The Vols must turn around and play Missouri on Saturday in an important SEC tilt. While the game isn't a super high-quality game for Tennessee in terms of it being quad one, it is quad two, so Tennessee will have to play well.

Missouri has been one of the most unique teams in college basketball in year one under Dennis Gates. Gates has implemented a fast, small-ball style that emphasizes transition threes and pushing any time they get. At the same time, Gates has displayed some excellent in-game coaching this season with his many backdoor sets. It's very clear when watching this Missouri team that Gates knows his players very well and has used their strengths to be, to many people, a surprise this season nationally.

While Missouri is quite impressive, this is a matchup that Tennessee can exploit. For starters, Missouri has been pretty bad on the road this season. The Tigers' lone road victory this season came against Ole Miss a few weeks ago. While they have had a tough road schedule in the conference, the Tigers haven't cracked 70 points in a road loss this season.

Tennessee will also be able to slow the game down against Missouri. When the Tigers lose, slowing the game down is a huge part of why. In Missouri's four road losses this season, the Tigers have been held under 70 possessions in all of them. This responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Zakai Zeigler, who will want only to try to take transition opportunities when they are there. The team will want to work offensive possessions deep into the shot clock. Considering that Tennessee is 229th in adjusted tempo and 288th in average defensive possession length, playing at a slow pace is something the Vols will be comfortable doing.

Another mismatch that Tennessee should be able to zone in on is offensive rebounding. The Vols are second in the country in offensive rebounding percentage, while Missouri is second to last in the country in allowing offensive rebounds. The matchup is quite literally the polar opposite. Expect Jonas Aidoo, Tobe Awaka, and Uros Plavsic to be factors in that department on Saturday.

The one concern Tennessee should have is that Missouri does force a ton of turnovers, and Tennessee isn't great at taking care of the ball. This, once again, will be dependent on the guards. If Zeigler, Santiago Vescovi, and Tyreke Key take care of the ball and make plays.

Finally, Julian Phillips on Kobe Brown will be the matchup to watch. Brown has been an All-SEC first-team caliber player this season, and his development has been phenomenal. Phillips' ability to defend on the outside and the interior could prove huge. Guys similar to Phillips, like K.J. Adams for Kansas, have had success against Brown this season. It will be a tall task for the freshman, but not one he can't handle. This should be a great bounce-back spot for the Vols as they get some confidence back before Alabama comes to town.

You Might Also Like:

• Boo Carter, An Athletic Freak Worth Pursuing
• Derrick Henry Has Respect For Joe Milton
• Daniel Calhoun Narrows Recruitment

Join the community:

Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.