Game Information
Missouri Tigers (2-0) vs VMI Keydets (2-0)
Time: 3:30pm CT Sunday
How to watch: SEC Network
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Mizzou -23.5
Total: 160.5
KenPom Projection
Mizzou 91, VMI 69
Mizzou Meets VMI
With Missouri’s College Football Playoff hopes over, attention begins to turn to basketball season as the Tigers resume their non-conference schedule this afternoon in Columbia against the VMI Keydets.
This is the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Tigers Looking For Improvement
The Tigers survived a couple nights ago with an 89-84 win over SEMO to remain undefeated, but they’ll be looking for a much improved performance this afternoon.
Mizzou was outrebounded by SEMO in that game, and the Tigers were also very sloppy with the ball in committing 19 turnovers. Free throws have also been a sore spot early on, as Missouri ranks 326th in the country by shooting 55.8% from the charity stripe so far this season.
VMI Undefeated
VMI is 2-0 after opening its season with victories over Johnson & Wales (who???) and Southern Indiana. TJ Johnson will be the player to watch for the Keydets, as he had a monster game against Southern Indiana with 32 points and 14 rebounds.
VMI is currently ranked 251st out of 365 Division One teams according to KenPom. As a comparison, SEMO was #263 in KenPom heading into Friday’s game at Mizzou Arena.
My Lean
After the unexpected close call vs SEMO, many Missouri fans are wondering whether that was a one-off poor performance or if that was a sign of bad things to come.
I do expect Mizzou to respond with a strong showing today. A tight game against a smaller school is going to happen on occasion in non-conference play. Last year in the third game of the season, Missouri survived as a heavy favorite with an 84-77 win over Eastern Washington. The Tigers followed that up in the next game by tying the school record for largest margin of victory in a 111-39 rout of Mississippi Valley State.
This is a talented Missouri team that was picked to finish 7th in the SEC and is expected to make the NCAA Tournament. I think the Tigers will bounce back with a much better effort this afternoon.
Lean: Mizzou -23.5 at -112 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Get Eric's picks for all sports by following him in the Action Network app with the username "esontag". Disclaimer