The Missouri men’s basketball team returns to conference play with an SEC contest against LSU on Wednesday. First tip at Mizzou Arena is set for 8 p.m. on SEC Network.
PROMOTIONS
• The first 1,000 students at Wednesday’s game will receive a free Sailor Tiger tie-dye shirt.
• Mizzou Drumline is set to perform at halftime.
ABOUT MISSOURI
• The Tigers are 16-5 and 4-4 in SEC action – receiving votes in both national polls.
• Missouri has won its last two games and is coming off a 78-61 non-conference win over No. 12 Iowa State on Saturday.
• Kobe Brown leads Mizzou with 16.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season.
• Overall, three Tigers score in double figures with D’Moi Hodge (14.6) and DeAndre Gholston (10.2) following Brown with another two (Isiaih Mosley and Noah Carter) scoring over nine points.
• Nick Honor leads Mizzou with 3.2 assists.
• Mizzou ranks eighth in the country with a scoring offense of 83.1, while allowing 75.3 points.
ABOUT LSU
• The Tigers enter with a 12-9 record and a 1-7 mark in SEC play.
• LSU started the season by winning 12 of its first 13 games but have dropped eight straight entering Wednesday’s contest.
• KJ Williams leads LSU with 17.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
• Adam Miller is second with 12.1 points.
• Justice Hill leads LSU with 3.3 assists per game.
• The Tigers are averaging 66.6 points per game, while allowing 67.6 on defense.
SERIES HISTORY
• LSU has had the better of the series with Missouri, posting an 11-2 advantage over MU.
• LSU has won the last eight games in the series dating back to 2016. During the 2022-23 season, LSU posted a pair of wins over Mizzou, including a 76-68 win in the SEC Tournament.
TOP MARKS IN 2022-23
• The Tigers are enjoying one of their best seasons in years during the 2022-23 campaign.
• With a 16-5 overall record, Missouri has already matched its most wins in a season since totaling 20 during the 2017-18 campaign.
• Following Saturday’s win, the Tigers finished the non-conference season with a 12-1 record – their best mark since also going 12-1 in 2013-14.
• Additionally, Mizzou’s four wins over ranked foes are tied for its most in the last 11 seasons.
HOT FROM DISTANCE
• Mizzou has caught fire from 3-point range as of late, leading to a 2-0 week last week.
• In wins over Ole Miss and Iowa State, MU went 30-of-60 from beyond the arc – making 16 versus the Rebels and 14 versus the Cyclones.
• It marks the first time with at least 14 makes in back-to-back games since 1999-00, while its 30 combined makes are its most in consecutive games since hitting 31 in two-straight in 2008-09.
• Missouri’s 16 triples versus Ole Miss are its most ever in a SEC game.
• Overall, the Tigers rank second in the SEC with 9.2 triples per game and a 3-point mark of 35.1.
TRIPLES EQUALS SUCCESS
• Missouri’s performance beyond the 3-point arc has largely been a key to success.
• The Tigers are shooting more than 17 percent better from beyond the arc in wins with more than five more makes per game.
• MU is 13-0 with eight triples in a game (2-5 with fewer), 12-0 when making at least 33.3 percent (3-5 when lower) and 10-0 when making more than its foe (2-1 with the same, 3-3 with fewer).
SLUMP BREAKER
• One of the team’s top players, D’Moi Hodge has led the 3-point barrage and broke out of a slump.
• The guard averaged 20.5 points last week, making 11-of-21 from 3-point range (52.4 percent).
• It marks the 18th time in MU history that a Tiger made at least five triples in back-to-back games.
• Prior to the two-game stretch, Hodge tallied just 7.0 points in the previous four games, shooting 16.0 percent (4-25) from 3-point range.
• Overall, Hodge ranks second on MU with 14.6 points, placing second in the SEC in triples per game (2.86) and third in 3-point percentage (39.2).
TOP-10 SCORING OFFENSE
• Overall, one of the biggest keys to success this season for Mizzou is owning a top scoring attack.
• Mizzou enters the game ranked eighth nationally with a scoring offense of 83.1 points.
• In fact, the Tigers’ 83.1 points rank as the sixth-best mark in their history and highest in 33 years.
TARGETING 70 POINTS
• While the Tigers are averaging well over 80 points this season, the magic number is just 70 for MU.
• MU has won its last 19 games when scoring at least 70, including a perfect 15-0 mark this year.
• On the opposite end, Mizzou is just 1-5 this year when held under the target – losing 23 of its last 24 games overall with 69 or fewer points.
