The old conference rivals are reuniting on the court.
No. 22/21 Missouri basketball will meet up with an old Big Eight and Big 12 rival Wednesday evening, when Oklahoma arrives in Columbia for its first game at Mizzou Arena since 2012.
Mizzou (17-6, 6-4 SEC) is currently on its first losing streak of the season, dropping games against a pair of top-15 teams in Tennessee on the road and Texas A&M at home in succession last week. The Tigers remained in the top-25 of the national polls, but dropped six places from their previous ranking.
Oklahoma (16-7, 3-7) also went winless against highly ranked opponents in the past week, falling 98-70 on the road at No. 1 Auburn last Tuesday before a 70-52 home loss to Tennessee on Saturday. The Sooners are coached by Porter Moser.
The matchup could prove important in Mizzou’s chase for an SEC Tournament bye and a place in the NCAA Tournament field. In MU’s next three games after hosting the Sooners, the Tigers are on the road twice and host Alabama between trips.
Can Mizzou get back in the win column? Here is what you need to know about Oklahoma before Wednesday’s game:
What are Oklahoma’s strengths leading into Missouri basketball game?
Oklahoma is one of the most efficient shooting teams in the SEC.
The Sooners’ true shooting percentage — a metric that measures a team’s combined efficiency from the field, 3-point range and at the free-throw line — is 60.6%. According to CBB Analytics, that ranks in the 98th percentile in the nation and No. 1 in the conference.
The Sooners are 47.6% from the field this season, which is fifth in the SEC, and are shooting 37.1% from 3, which is the fourth-best clip in the league. With a 80.5% shooting mark from the free-throw line, Oklahoma leads the SEC once it gets to the stripe and is among top 2% of teams in Division I.
That’s a dangerous team, if the Sooners can put it together in Columbia.
It also could create some fireworks.
For what it’s worth, while Oklahoma is the No. 1 team in the SEC for true shooting percentage, Mizzou is No. 2 and just 0.2% behind the Sooners in that metric. So, offense shouldn’t be lacking Wednesday.
What are Oklahoma’s weaknesses?
Oklahoma is efficient, which is a good thing for the Sooners. Because compared to their league peers, they don’t get a whole lot of shots off.
The Sooners are last in the SEC for total 2-point field goal attempts, taking 31.9 shots from inside the arc per contest. They are in the bottom half of the league for both 3-point attempts and free-throw attempts per game, too.
Part of the reason is because OU hasn’t been efficient at getting back its own misses. Oklahoma has the second-worst offensive rebounding percentage (27.4%) in the SEC, and allows opponents to haul in offensive boards at the second-highest rate in the league (32.9%).
That’s a lot of possessions that end up in the opponents’ hands, and something Mizzou would do well to emphasize.
Player to watch: Jalon Moore
Moore presents one of the tougher matchups in the league for just about anybody he faces, as the small forward stands at 6-foot-7 and is shooting at 43.1% from 3 and 52.1% from the field. He has averaged 17.7 points per game this season.
He also gets to the free throw line as much as anybody on the Sooners’ squad, and is a threat on the boards with 5.7 rebounds per game.
The Tigers will have to pick their poison guarding the perimeter, as Oklahoma guards Duke Miles and Brycen Goodine both shoot better than 44% from deep.
Moore, who was named as a Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year top-10 candidate this week, has the length and production to make him a tough matchup on the outside if the Tigers don’t take care.
Where can Mizzou create a matchup advantage?
Mizzou coach Dennis Gates talks often about winning the battle for extra possessions, or the combination of offensive rebounds and turnovers. The Tigers may have to take advantage of that against an Oklahoma outfit that has been prone to giving both of those up.
The Sooners rank just outside the bottom-third of all Division I teams with a 16% turnover rate, meaning they turn the ball over on about once every six possessions. Mizzou is the third-best team in the league at forcing turnovers, doing so on 18.4% of defensive looks.
If Mizzou can also accentuate the Sooners’ shortcomings on the glass, the Tigers have a good opportunity to end their losing streak.
Score prediction: Missouri 86, Oklahoma 70
More: Here’s how far Missouri basketball dropped in national polls, top 25 after winless week
More: Has Missouri basketball’s postseason picture changed after Aggie heartbreak, 1st losing streak?
Mizzou is 15-1 at home and has only followed a loss with another loss once this season — on Saturday. Look for the Tigers to right the ship with a turnover-heavy defensive performance and a bounce-back game from Caleb Grill, who uncharacteristically didn’t make a shot from behind the arc against Texas A&M.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Scouting report, score prediction for Missouri basketball vs Oklahoma
