It’s been a week for the Missouri Tigers, as they have successfully bounced back in their last two games after a disappointing loss to Memphis in their season opener.
They followed their first win of the season, a victory over Howard, with a thrilling win on Monday night against Eastern Washington. In the game, 6th-year senior Caleb Grill hit eight three-pointers, scoring 33 points and adding 9 rebounds to help seal the deal for the Tigers.
There’s still much to improve on for head coach Dennis Gates and his team, which went 0-18 in SEC play last year, but these last couple of games have certainly put them in the right direction for the rest of the season.
Mississippi Valley State comes in at 1-1, with their lone victory coming against the Division-III men’s team at the Mississippi University for Women, 66-49. In that game, they shot 54% from the field in the first half, along with an impressive 50% from three-point range.
In past years and in games this season, Mizzou has struggled defending the three-point shot. From that game, it’s clear that the Delta Devils can shoot efficiently, even from beyond the arc. It’s crucial that the Tigers come prepared to defend against a barrage of three-pointers, ensuring Mississippi Valley State doesn’t get off to a hot start from deep.
The Delta Devils don’t have the most exciting resume, especially in recent decades. They’ve accumulated double-digit wins just once since 2012, during a 21-13 season in which they went 17-1 in the SWAC. They would go on to be eliminated in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament.
Additionally, they were ranked 364th out of 364 teams in the KenPom rankings, a highly respected and historically accurate system, while the Tigers were ranked 64th on the same list.
The last time Mizzou faced MVSU was in the 2022-2023 season, in a game the Tigers dominated, especially in the second half, winning 83-62 without much difficulty.
Of the five starters, four are long-tenured seniors, with the lineup also featuring one junior, Antonio Sisk. Only two players in the Delta Devils' starting lineup average more than seven points per game, and none have more than four assists per contest.
The main player to watch is likely 5-11 senior Donovan Sanders. Sanders averages over 11 points per game, but what’s even more remarkable is his ability to grab 9 rebounds, despite his size. He actually outrebounds the two tallest players in the starting five, 6-8 seniors Alvin Stredic and Walter Hamilton, combined.
That impressive feat highlights the type of player Sanders is. He clearly comes to play, and it will be interesting to see if the Tigers' bigs are ready to match his intensity and box out the small but aggressive Sanders.
This shouldn’t be a tough task for Mizzou to accomplish tonight. As long as they come out ready and play anywhere near the level they did Monday night against the Bison, they shouldn’t face too many challenges.
It’s important for the Tigers to defend, especially from deep, and play two complete halves in order to head into the 8-day break with a third straight home victory.
It’ll be Mizzou’s game to lose tonight at 6:30 p.m. CST, once again at the Tigers' home arena.