Preview: Mizzou Hoops Looks for Get-Right Game in Season Finale Against Kentucky

The Tigers have seriously cooled off recently after starting the season extremely hot. They’re just 2-3 in their last five contests, with all three losses coming on the road.

Mizzou has been significantly better at home, with an 18-1 record at Mizzou Arena, and has been competitive against nearly every ranked team, regardless of whether they come away with the win.

Now, on the heels of an upset loss to unranked Oklahoma, head coach Dennis Gates will need to get his team locked in as they aim to improve their seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament.

This game against Kentucky comes as the final contest of the 2024-25 regular season.

The Wildcats have had a season that looks very similar to the Tigers, as they’ve won big games but sometimes play down to their opponents, leading to upset losses.

They hold a respectable 20-10 record but are just 9-8 in SEC play. Kentucky is also only 3-6 when playing away from their home court.

They have big wins over No. 2 Duke, No. 14 Louisville, No. 5 Florida, No. 25 Mississippi State, and twice over No. 4 Tennessee.

That being said, they’ve also been upset frequently, especially in conference play, by teams like Vanderbilt, Texas, and Arkansas—all teams that Mizzou has also fallen to.

Head coach Mark Pope took over for legendary coach John Calipari this year, after Calipari departed for Arkansas, following nearly two decades of leading the Wildcats.

Pope has done a nice job keeping this team on par with where they’ve been in the past. The program has surpassed the 20-win mark all but two times, dating back to the 1989-90 season, as they look for their 21st victory on Saturday.

They’ve also hit 30 wins six times since the start of the century. Kentucky has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 20 times during that span, including a National Championship win in a season where they went 38-1, along with several more tournament appearances and deep runs.

They went 23-10 last season and entered March Madness with a No. 3 seed, before being upset in the first round of the tournament.

This team is currently down from the standards of past years, but they clearly know how to win, making them an always dangerous opponent.

A number of players on Pope’s offense dominate in minutes, but the team features just one true threat, night in and night out: Otega Oweh.

The junior guard puts up 16 points per game and adds 5 rebounds. He’s playing in his third collegiate season, but his first for the Wildcats after transferring from Oklahoma, and he’s having a career year by far.

He’s started every game this season and averages 50% from the field while putting up the most attempts on the team, hitting close to 6 shots per night. He’s also strong defensively, averaging 1.5 steals per game.

Amari Williams, a 7-foot center from England, has been a great addition to their squad. He played four seasons as a member of the Drexel Dragons in Pennsylvania before transferring to Kentucky.

He averages 11 points per game on nearly 60% shooting from the field. He’s also top-40 in rebounds per game, with nearly 9, and adds 3 assists, which is impressive for a big man.

Williams also leads the team in blocks per game, with over 1 per game. His downside is that his average for personal fouls and turnovers is high, at over 5 combined per game.

Overall, their roster includes six players who average double-digit points per game. They likely have the deepest roster of any team the Tigers have faced this season and are the only team with a deeper roster than Mizzou.

Although the Tigers are the higher-seeded team in this matchup, they may be considered underdogs, especially given their recent losses.

Mizzou will look to close out the regular season on a high note when they face Kentucky on Saturday in an early matchup, with tip-off set for 11 a.m.