The SEC action continues to be red-hot when the No. 15 ranked Missouri Tigers (17-4, 6-2 SEC) head to Tennessee on Wednesday and face the No. 4 ranked Volunteers (18-4, 5-4 SEC) for an important conference tilt.
Missouri enters the game with impressive wins over Kansas, Florida, and both SEC schools from the state of Mississippi. The Tigers are in the midst of a grueling stretch that includes Texas A&M on Saturday, their fourth consecutive game against a Top 25 opponent.
Tennessee will play its fifth consecutive game against a Top 25 opponent when the Tigers visit tonight. The Volunteers are 2-2 against those foes, earning wins over Florida and Mississippi State to sandwich losses to Kentucky and Florida.
Can the Volunteers earn their sixth win over a Top 25 team on Wednesday, or will the Tigers continue their torrid start to conference play? We’ll cover that and our three best player prop bets below.
Tennessee Volunteers F Igor Milicic Jr. OVER 6.5 Rebounds
The Volunteers have a pair of twin towers with forwards Felix Okpara and Igor Milicic Jr. Combined, these players have recorded 14.7 rebounds per game and are blocking over two shots each contest.
Milicic is the stronger of the two players on the glass as he’s averaging 8.1 rebounds per night. After a strong start to the season, his rebounding efforts have cooled. Still, he’s hit at least seven rebounds in three of the past five games, and bettors should expect him to add to that total tonight against Missouri.
Missouri Tigers G Tamar Bates OVER 11.5 Points
Missouri’s offense features three players who are scoring in double figures, led by senior Tamar Bates. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 13.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists to pace the Tigers this season.
He’ll be asked to lead the Tigers’ offense again on Wednesday against Tennessee. In five of the last seven games, he’s scored at least 12 points to pace Missouri. Expect him to make it six out of eight games with at least a dozen points to cover this player prop bet.
Tennessee Volunteers G Chaz Lanier 3+ 3-Point Field Goals (-188)
Tennessee’s offense is led by senior guard Chaz Lanier. The 6-foot-4 University of North Florida transfer has had an immediate impact on the team, scoring 17.9 points per game. Lanier’s also leading the team in the most three-point field goals, more than double his next closest Volunteer teammate.
After a cold stretch to start January, Lanier caught fire from behind the three-point line. In four of the past five games, the guard has finished with three or more trifectas for the Volunteers. Expect the senior to make it a third consecutive night with at least three treys against Missouri.
Best Bet: Missouri (+9.5)
On paper, there’s no doubt that Tennessee is the better team. The Volunteers reminded the nation why they are in the running for a top spot in the NCAA Tournament with a 20-point victory over Florida on Saturday, earning revenge for an earlier loss to the Gators.
Still, Missouri is the hotter team right now. The Tigers’ defense has held five of their past seven opponents to under 70 points. Expect Missouri to make this game close throughout if not outright win on Wednesday night.
