The Missouri Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners are on a collision course this Saturday in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. In this battle between two teams that enter the Big Dance after a shaky stretch, which will advance to the second round? Check out our preview of this game below.
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Betting Preview for the Missouri Tigers vs Oklahoma Sooners NCAA College Basketball Game on March 20 2021
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
When: Saturday, March 20, 2021, 7:25 PM ET
Line: Missouri Tigers (+2) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (-2) – view all 2021 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: Turner Network Television
Betting on the Missouri Tigers (+2)
Record: 16-9 Overall / 8-8 Conference
Missouri ended the regular season without much momentum, as the Tigers have gone 2-5 in their last seven games before entering the SEC tourney, where they won over the Georgia Bulldogs and lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Tigers don’t have a particularly sparkling overall record, but they’ve shown they can hang with some of the best teams. They have wins over the Tennessee Volunteers, SEC champions Alabama Crimson Tide, and the Florida Gators. Mizzou will rely on its roster depth and experience in March Madness. The Tigers are seventh in minutes continuity and 11th in experience, per KenPom. They have a solid backcourt tandem in the pairing of junior Xavier Pinson and senior Dru Smith that provides stability for the Tigers, who are averaging 73.6 points per game.
Missouri is 7-3 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners (-2)
Record: 15-10 Overall / 9-8 Conference
Like Mizzou, the Sooners are limping into the Big Dance after a 1-5 stretch over their last six games. The lone win in that span was a 79-73 victory over a non-tournament team, Iowa State Cyclones. That being said, the Sooners have had quality wins at the expense of the likes of the West Virginia Mountaineers, Texas Longhorns, and Alabama. A couple of seniors in Austin Reaves and Brady Manek will be the anchor of this Oklahoma team in the National Tournament. Reeves is a 6-5 guard who can use his size to get away with whatever he wants on offense against Tigers, while Manek is a stretch 6-9 center who’s shooting 36.2 percent from deep this season, thus far. Oklahoma takes care of the ball well, as it is 24th in the nation in turnover percentage (13.8%). Missouri doesn’t pressure much on defense, which could mean that the Sooners will get more juice from their offensive possessions.
The under is 2-1 in Oklahoma’s last three games.
Writer’s Prediction
Oklahoma wins, 73-71.
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