On Saturday, we saw Missouri (8-17, 0-12 Southeastern Conference) play its best basketball of the 2024 calendar year at Mississippi. Even though it fell short and moral victories mean nothing in the win-loss column, it returns home with confidence for its next matchup.
That team it has to face is No. 8 Tennessee (19-6, 9-3). Last season we know what happened in both meeting between both squads as DeAndre Gholston knocked down a buzzer-beater in Knoxville while MU soared past the Vols in Nashville in the SEC Tournament (Mizzou seemingly excelled against the state of Tennessee in 2023 on both the basketball court and football field).
But this year is a completely different year, mainly for Missouri. Tennessee is 4-1 in the month of February and has been a top 10 team since mid-December while Missouri is still looking for that first SEC win. Coming home with confidence, the Tigers are aiming for its first ranked win of the season.
The coach: BaRick rnes is a well-known name around the sport with his 794-412 record and has been associated with the color orange since 1994. He had just one losing record while coaching George Mason (1987-88), Providence (1989-1994) and Clemson (1994-1998). His success led him to future SEC member Texas where with the Longhorns he compiled a record of 402-180 including a Final Four Appearance, a four Big 12 Coach of the Year Awards while also coaching Kevin Durant in 2007.
After being fired from the program (more on that in a sec) he was hired by Tennessee where he turned the Vols into a yearly contender for the NCAA Tournament. The knock on Barnes’ coaching career is his 27-26 NCAA Tournament record, which led him out the door in Austin. He’s had success at Tennessee so far in the regular season, but his Vols teams have only gone as far as the Sweet 16.
This season: Building off of the success last season, the Vols started off as a top-10 team but stumbled early. Tennessee defeated both Wisconsin and Syracuse, but dropped three straight to Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina. It rebounded though in December with wins against Illinois (Something Mizzou couldn’t do), NC State and a good Norfolk State team, a program that’s on the rival list for MU. So far in SEC play, Tennessee is in contention for a league crown as its just a game behind Alabama. Barnes’ squad only blemishes in league play have came against Mississippi State, South Carolina and Texas A&M.
The Key Stats: KenPom loves Tennessee as it comes in at No. 5 behind Houston, UConn, Purdue and Arizona. Defensively, the Vols are tremendous ranking in the top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency (92.3), effective field goal percentage (44.7). Offensively, Tennessee comes in at No. 15 in adjusted offensive efficiency (119) while placing in the top 100 in effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage and offensive rebound percentage.
