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The Missouri Tigers take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. Our college basketball odds series has our Missouri Arkansas prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Missouri vs Arkansas.
This is a fascinating game. Missouri played a lot of cupcake games in November and then got buried by Kansas by 28 points. It seemed Mizzou was nothing but a paper tiger.
Then came the next three games.
Missouri won on the road at Central Florida. It crushed Illinois in a neutral-site game in St. Louis. It then blasted Kentucky at home. The Tigers notched three wins, all of them impressive in different ways. One win was a road game, one on a neutral court, one at home. The Tigers handled one of the Big Ten's better teams and then beat Kentucky, a blue blood, in a game which was never close.
Arkansas is dealing with an injury to Nick Smith, one of its best and most highly promising players. Not having him has been a devastating deficit for the Razorbacks, who have reached the Elite Eight in each of the last two college basketball seasons. Arkansas lost on the road to LSU in the early stages of SEC competition. The Hogs need to defend their home floor here if they want to stay in the SEC race and not fall too far behind in early January.
Here are the Missouri-Arkansas college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: Missouri-Arkansas Odds
Missouri Tigers: +7.5 (-110)
Arkansas Razorbacks: -7.5 (-110)
Over: 155.5 (-112)
Under: 155.5 (-108)
*Watch Missouri-Arkansas LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Missouri Could Cover The Spread
Coach Dennis Gates seems to be a great hire by Mizzou, which is likely to be a significant factor in the SEC this season. Missouri incorporates a zone defense into the flow of play but doesn't use it as a crutch. Gates has done a great job of switching defenses with his roster. He has also developed players. He turned that blowout loss to Kansas into a teachable moment for his group, which has played superb basketball since then. Gates is showing an ability to handle the various components of quality coaching: the tactics, the player development, and the mental game, in which players don't sulk after a loss but immediately get back to work and focus on how to move forward. Coaches have to look after the physical, mental, and tactical elements of the game and how their athletes are dealing with each of them. Missouri is checking all the boxes right now.
Why Arkansas Could Cover The Spread
The Hogs are a desperate team. They are playing at home in Bud Walton Arena before a boisterous crowd. They know how important this game is, and they should be able to feed on the energy of their fans. Urgency and intensity should be Arkansas' friends in this game. We also have to point out that while Missouri is playing really good basketball, the Tigers haven't yet done something specific this season: Win a big SEC road game. The UCF game isn't anything close to Arkansas in terms of the caliber of opponent. The Illinois and Kentucky games weren't true road games. Missouri will face a much steeper challenge against the Razorbacks than against Illinois or Kentucky.
Final Missouri-Arkansas Prediction & Pick
Missouri's recent improvements plus the Nick Smith injury at Arkansas point to a close game. The Hogs might win, but the Tigers are more likely to cover.
Final Missouri-Arkansas Prediction & Pick: Missouri +7.5
How To Watch Missouri vs. Arkansas
TV: SEC Network
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. PT
