Espn College Basketball

MISSOURI TIGERS (19-2) at TEXAS LONGHORNS (13-8)

Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Missouri -1 & 144.5
Opening Line & Total: Texas -1 & 146

Missouri will look for a big road win when they travel to Austin to take on a young Texas squad.

The Tigers have owned the Longhorns of late, going 4-1 both SU and ATS in their past five meetings. This year, Frank Haith’s Missouri team has been strong against the lines, going 10-6 ATS and 5-3 ATS against Big 12 foes. Texas is the exact opposite with a 6-10 ATS mark overall and 3-5 ATS in conference play. Offensive explosiveness has taken Missouri to its success this season and should carry them to the win in this one. The Tigers are sixth in the nation in scoring (81.9 PPG) and fifth in shooting (49.9% FG). Sporting three players averaging 14.4 PPG or more, led by Marcus Denmon (17.7 PPG), they have too many options for the Longhorns to guard. Defensively, Missouri should also be able to pressure Texas into making mistakes as they are seventh in the nation with 9.4 steals per game.

At 6-foot-3, Denmon leads the strong Missouri exterior attack with 2.6 threes per game on a solid 39% clip. He had 18 points and 11 rebounds in his team’s 84-73 home win over Texas on Jan. 14. Kim English (14.4 PPG, 52% FG) joins him on the outside where he is among the most precise shooters in the nation, with a 50% rate from beyond the arc. His efficiency does not compare, however, to that of Ricardo Ratliffe (14.8 PPG) on the inside, who seemingly never misses. He makes shots at an absurd 75.1%, utilizing his 6-foot-8 frame effectively in the paint. He led Missouri with 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting versus Texas this year. Michael Dixon (11.7 PPG) rounds out the Tigers’ double-digit scorers, while Phil Pressey (9.8 PPG, 6.1 APG) is the engine behind the team’s high-powered offense, who had 18 points and 10 assists in the earlier meeting with the Horns.

Unlike the Tigers, who feature a number of elite scoring options, J’Covan Brown (19.7 PPG) dominates the offensive production for the Longhorns. The 6-foot-1 guard averages 2.5 threes per game and can also slice through opposing defenses at will. Brown, who torched Missouri for 34 points (10-of-16 FG), including 6-of-7 three-pointers, is coming off a 32-point effort in the loss at Baylor on Saturday. The other decent scorer for Texas is fellow guard Sheldon McClellan (11.0 PPG) who is handling his duties admirably for a freshman. Also a first-year player, Myck Kabongo (9.9 PPG) is the team’s best passer with 5.5 APG. He had 12 points and 10 assists in the loss to Missouri this season. This matchup will be a big test for 6-foot-7 freshman Jonathan Holmes (7.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG), as he will be tasked with guarding Ratliffe. This young team should have trouble with Missouri’s offensive versatility, play against the Longhorns here.