Missouri faces a crucial showdown with Tennesee tonight, and both a win or a loss will have huge implications for thier NCAA Tournament dreams. With just four games left, the Tigers are still firmly on the bubble, and Las Vegas' latest odds certianly reflect that.
Oddsmakers currently have Mizzou at -250 odds to make the field of 68, just behind fellow bubble schools Auburn and Santa Clara. Meanwhile, their final four odds are a measly +8000 with the Tigers likely having to deal with a play-in game if they make the field at all.
Mizzou Tigers still planted on the bubble with time running out
Mizzou has been quite the conundrum all season, with wins over multiple ranked opponents, as well as blowout losses. As it stands, the Tigers likely need to win at least two of their final four remaining games, but two will comes against the No. 22 Vols and No. 20 Arkansas. With a win over Tennessee, that path becomes much cleaner, with only a win over Oklahoma or Mississippi State as the last punctuation mark on a tournament berth.
A loss against the Vols makes things a bit trickier. They'll either need to steal one against Arkansas, or beat both Oklahoma and Mississippi State, both away from Mizzou Arena. Either way you slice it, there's absolutely no guarantee Mizzou makes the field at this point in time. Still, they can control their own destiny in a sense.
Vegas seems somewhat confident in the Tigers, however, and they have some of the best odds among the fellow bubble schools. Tennessee is just 2.5 point favorites at Mizzou, and although the Vols are winners of eight of their last nine, the Tigers have been riding a nice stretch of games as well with a recent win over Vanderbilt.