Missouri basketball at Arkansas: Prediction, scouting report

For Missouri basketball, a victory on Saturday would be sweet, as it would be its first victory in the Southeastern Conference and redemption over an old rival.

The Tigers (8-18, 0-13) will take on Arkansas (13-13, 4-9) at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. The teams previously faced off on Jan. 31 at Mizzou Arena, where the Razorbacks, from start to finish, dominated the Tigers in a 91-84 victory, leading by as much as 23.

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On Tuesday, Missouri led and kept it close against No. 5 Tennessee before falling 72-67 for its 13th consecutive loss in the SEC.

Since playing the Tigers, Arkansas is 2-3 in February. The Razorbacks, led by head coach Eric Musselman, defeated Georgia but also fell to LSU, Tennessee, and Mississippi State. Most recently, Arkansas won 78-71 at Texas A&M on Tuesday.

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup (11 a.m., ESPN2), here are three things to keep an eye out for as the Tigers seek their first league victory against Arkansas.

Mabor Majak vs. Mekhi Mitchell

If Missouri wants to come away victorious on Saturday, it can’t let Makhi Mitchell flourish again. In the previous matchup, the 6-foot-10 forward scored a season-high 19 points against the Tigers. Since then, he’s topped that mark twice, each in the past two games, tallying 21 and 22 points at Mississippi State and Texas A&M. 

Protecting inside the arc will be a big test for the Tigers, and Dennis Gates will likely have to depend on center Mabor Majak. The 7-foot-2 post player from Juba, South Sudan, played a season-high 22 minutes against Tennessee, recording four defensive rebounds. 

“He’s very unselfish,” Dennis Gates said. “He’s given his body, he’s given whatever it is. It’s not even about offense. He’s out there fighting and giving us the emotional boost that most leaders do. He can do it silently, he can do it through action, and it can be the smallest things that stand out. He’s very connected to all of his teammates.”

Sean East II’s hot streak is key this time around against the Razorbacks

Fueling Missouri’s fight in its previous two games has been a resurgence of Sean East II. The graduate point guard has tallied 49 combined points and generated 23 attempts at the free throw line. 

East scored just 11 points in the Tigers first matchup against Arkansas before suffering a knee contusion at Vanderbilt, forcing him to miss the following two games, which MU lost by a combined 43 points. The Tigers can’t afford a no-show from their best scorer, and the past week has shown that he isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Can Missouri keep its focused on defense?

Arkansas’ 91 points on Jan. 31 is the second-most allowed by Missouri in SEC play. 

Fast forward to Tuesday, and Missouri forced a top-50 scoring offense in Tennessee to miss its first 11 shots. The Volunteers’ offensive efficiency rating heading into their matchup with the Tigers ranked 16th in the nation according to KenPom.com.

“We said if our offense wasn’t there, that the defense had to pick up, it’s got to multiply. If we weren’t making shots, we weren’t going to let them make shots,” Missouri’s Noah Carter said Tuesday. “And that’s kind of what our mindset was, and it wasn’t expected to go that long. I think the score was 2-1 at the first media [timeout] and a little bit after that, but it was about getting our defense together, and if we’re not scoring, we can’t let them score.”

The Razorbacks’ offensive efficiency rating ranks 129th in the nation at 108.7. Remaining aggressive and dialed in on the defensive end is something worth watching.

Score Prediction

Arkansas 73, Missouri 67: Missouri has played better since the last time it faced the Razorbacks with inspiring efforts against Mississippi and Tennessee. But the Tigers are just 2-14 all-time at Bud Walton Arena and haven’t won in the opposing gym since Nov. 28.