Georgia Will Hand Missouri 19th Straight Loss

Missouri vs. Georgia, 9:30 ET

The SEC is one of the best conferences in college. At least when it comes to college football. As far as college basketball goes, the SEC is somewhere between good and great. Sure, there are a few good squads at the top of the pile, but the bottom is not very good. The good news is that it doesn't really matter who is playing because a college basketball game between Missouri and Georgia cashes the same as a game between Alabama and Georgia football teams. That is what we are precisely looking to do tonight - get a unit on a game in the SEC tournament. 

Missouri hasn't won a game in the SEC this year. Let me state that again for you in case you read it too quickly: This season, Missouri has gone 0-18 in the conference and is just 8-23 overall this season. After starting the season 7-2, they one just one more game in their final 22. They ended this season with an 18-game losing streak. During that streak, they have only had four games with a loss of five or fewer points. I don't think it is a matter of them giving up, I just think they aren't a good enough team. They have a decent few players in the backcourt, led by Sean East II. East is a good scorer that shoots 53% from the floor and 46% from deep. Perhaps the biggest issue with the team is that they collectively average only 30 rebounds per game and on one on the team averages more than 5.8 rebounds per game. There is something to be said for a team rebounding approach, but in this case, they only have two players averaging 4 or more rebounds per game. In addition, the problem with the Tigers is they have a 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. The offense is disconnected and their defense doesn't have an answer for some of the bigger teams in the conference. Again, there has been effort with the team, but it is inconsistent and not enough to break this streak. 

An SEC Showdown awaits between Missouri and Georgia. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Georgia is not a bright and shiny team in the conference either. They ended the season with a 16-15 record and a 6-12 conference standing. After starting conference play at 4-2, they dropped 10 of their last 12 games, including a stretch of six straight and nine of ten games. They did face Missouri once this season, and they were able to win on the road in the first SEC game of their schedule. Georgia won that game by seven points with a final of 75-68. The game was fairly balanced with Georgia having a slightly better field goal percentage, but they were able to hit six more threes than their opponent. Georgia only grabbed three more rebounds than Missouri, but also had four more turnovers. Georgia allowed four players to score in double figures, including East. Missouri allowed Georgia the same number of double-figure scorers, with one coming off the bench. I'd be a bit surprised to see them shoot as well from deep in this game. They hit almost 50% of their threes in that game, but shoot 33.1% for the season. 

This is a matchup of two bad squads. Missouri is not someone you can back, and even if they want to play a competitive game, I'm not sure that they will be able to keep it close enough. Georgia may not be good, but I do think they are better than the Tigers. I think the only way to play this game is for Georgia to cover the short number at -3.5. There are very few games this season that Missouri has kept within this number and I think the players are ready to call it a season. Take Georgia in this one.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024