Here's a scouting report, some Mizzou notes, matchups to watch and what I think will lead to a Tiger win.
The Commodores are the reason the Tigers control their own destiny for a double-bye, as Vanderbilt took down Texas A&M 86-84 on Wednesday. It was the second consecutive win for Vanderbilt after it dropped three straight games.
Since losing 75-66 to the Tigers in Columbia on Jan. 11, the Commodores are 6-6.
Vanderbilt is very strong on its home court, holding a 13-2 record with wins against Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas and Ole Miss, with the two losses coming to Auburn and Mississippi State.
The Commodores enter the matchup scoring 79.8 points per game and allowing 73.3, while those numbers are 73.9 scored and 79.5 allowed in SEC play.
Vanderbilt shoots 45.5 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from 3 and 74.3 percent at the free-throw line. The Commodores average 8.2 made 3-pointers per game and 15.1 made free throws per contest. They allow opponents to shoot 45.7/37.0/71.4.
The Commodores average a win in the rebounding battle just 35.0-34.4 but makes its money in the turnover battle. Vanderbilt forces 14.3 turnovers per game, including 9.1 steals, while turning the ball over just 10.0 times per matchup.
The first time these teams played this season, there were 28 total turnovers with both teams committing 14 and both teams scoring 19 points off of those opportunities.
Junior guard Jason Edwards (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) leads the Commodores with 17.2 points per game, while Junior forward (Vanderbilt lists literally every player as a point guard, but he's a forward) Devin McGlockton (6-7, 230) adds 10.6 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds to go with 1.14 blocks per contest.
McGlockton and Nickel have both started all 28 games, while Hoggard is at 26 and Manon is at 21. Edwards is next at 19 starts.
The rest of the regular rotation is sophomore forward Jaylen Carey (6-8, 265), junior guard MJ Collins (6-4, 190) and graduate guard Grant Huffman (6-4, 190) who have all played at least 27-of-28 games.
With the win in January, the Tigers hold a 10-8 lead in the all-time series.