MBB Preview: Missouri hosts Pacific in effort to keep home win streak going

Nov 22, 2024 | Uncategorized

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Missouri guard Tony Perkins (12) throws an alley-oop in the first half of a game against Howard on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

Pacific is coming off of a hard-fought game against Arkansas, presenting the Tigers with a minor test in the early non-con.

Predict the Trifecta: Who will be Mizzou’s top three performers tonight?


Mizzou equalled the programs largest margin of victory in their most recent win against Mississippi Valley State last friday.

Unlike Eastern Washington, that game didn’t see any Tigers fully dominate but rather the entire team got their flowers as 14 different players got double digit points against MVSU, a program record.

Now, MU will host Pacific, with their next game being on Sunday, Nov. 24 when they host Arkansas Pine-Bluff.

The Starters

Mizzou (3-1)

G: Tony Perkins (SR, 6.0 PPG)

G: Tamar Bates (SR, 13.0 PPG)

G: Annor Boateng (FR, 3.5 PPG)

F: Mark Mitchell (JR, 12.3 PPG)

C: Josh Gray (SR, 3.0 PPG)

Notable Sixth Man: Caleb Grill (SR, 13.0 PPG)

Pacific (3-3)

G: Elijah Fisher (JR, 17.7 PPG)

G: Peter Krivokapic (SR, 5.3 PPG)

G: George Ivory (SR, 3 PPG)

G: Jefferson Koulibaly (JR, 9 PPG)

F: Elias Ralph (SR, 17.7 PPG)

Notable Sixth Man: Jazz Gardner (JR, 5.3 PPG)

Note: These starting lineups are projected.

Get to know Pacific: The WCC’s favorite punching bag

The year is 2006-07, and the Pacific Tigers led by Bob Thomason are coming off of their third-straight Big West conference title, with Thomason being the first head coach in Pacific History to pick up three straight tournament appearances. Flash forward almost two decades, and the Pacific Tigers’ Big West dominance is long gone as they have only had one winning season in conference play since joining the West Coast Conference in 2013-14.

Pacific hasn’t been able to pick up many signature wins since making the jump to the WCC, but they actually have one thing in common with the Missouri Tigers. They are also coming off of a winless conference season, as they finished 0-16 in WCC play last year. Big wins are so scarce for Pacific, that they haven’t picked up an AP ranked win since Mar. 19, 2004 when the 12-seeded Tigers upset the fifth-seeded Providence Friars in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That season saw the Tigers pick up another ranked win earlier against No. 19 Utah State.

This season the Pacific Tigers are 3-3, boasting two wins against teams that don’t have a logo on ESPN and their signature win being an 80-67 neutral-site victory against San Jose State in Hawaii. Since a 3-0 start, the Tigers have dropped three straight with their most recent coming against Coach Calipari’s No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks, 91-72. Pacific got as close as within two of the Razorbacks with just over 12 minutes left in the final frame, but never got a lead in that second half as the Razorbacks pulled away. In that game, Elijah Fisher shot eight-of-10 from the field for 23 points while Elias Ralph helped carry the load offensively, a theme that has been persisting for that team this season.

Pacific isn’t exactly 364/364 like Mississippi Valley State in the KenPom ratings but they are still 260th, with their only top 100 stat being adjusted tempo. This team likes to play fast and are well-coached, so it’ll be interesting to see if Mizzou handles them as Arkansas did or better or worse.

3 Keys to the Game

Stay Humble

After the taste of a big win against MVSU, the Tigers need to stay humble and realize they were playing one of the worst teams in all of CBB, if not the worst. Pacific isn’t the greatest team, but if they walk into the game thinking they can beat every mid-major like they did Mississippi Valley State, it’s going to be a tough and rude awakening. This team is battle tested against an SEC-foe right before this, so it’ll be interesting to see how Mizzou fares.

Win the offensive glass

A big reason Pacific was able to hang with Arkansas was how dominant they were on the offensive glass. They outrebounded the Razorbacks on offensive boards eight to three, and thus also out scored them in second chance points. If Missouri can play a clean boards-game against a team that did that, it’ll be a solid pick me up for the team.

Close out beyond the arc

Pacific hit 12 threes against Arkansas which seems like a lot, until you realize they shot 35. This is a team that loves to let it fly, and with those teams you must be efficient at closing out and contesting shots. If the Tigers don’t do that, then they could be at risk of letting Pacific catch fire and in that situation who knows how the game can end.

Game Prediction

My prediction: Mizzou 72, Pacific 61

Mizzou will likely handle business but I think the combination of this team likely not being as good as Arkansas and Pacific having just played Arkansas, make for this to be a game where Pacific keeps it close. I think Missouri keeps them close, but not too close and pulls away at the end due to Pacific being in foul trouble from their lack of depth.

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