Mizzou Notre-Dame Preview

The Mizzou Tigers will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Progressive CBE Classic tonight in Kansas City. Despite what seems to be some obvious shortcomings in the Tigers’ game, this looks to be a winnable, yet tough, game.

The biggest advantage the Irish have over Mizzou is size. Notre Dame has two 6’10 players and two others who are 6’9. The rebounding battle is going to be crucial for Mizzou. Notre Dame’s strength is up front, so if the Tigers can hold their own in the rebounding department, then the game becomes much easier.

After missing two games, the Irish’s best player, Eric Atkins, should be back after missing two games with an undisclosed illnesses. In his first two games, he averaged 20 points, and shot a ridiculous .625. The guards are going to have to play stellar defense to contain him and fellow guard Jerian Grant.

This year, Notre Dame has been a bit inconsistent, even with Atkins in the game. They blew out three of their first four games, but barely won by 6 against Detroit. It comes down to which Notre Dame team shows up on any given day.

The main advantage the Tigers have is a more well-rounded attack. On any given game any player can lead the stat sheet. It could be Denmon, Ratliffe, one of the Presseys or even English. The Irish can’t key on just one player, because everyone else on the starting line is capable of going off and taking over a game. Ratliffe should also have a field day in the paint, as he has proven to be a more than capable scorer.

In the end, this game looks to be a toss-up, and a potentially great game that will go down to the wire.