Missouri vs. Wichita State Prediction and Odds for Tuesday, November 29 (Tigers Underrated)
By Reed Wallach
Missouri has looked vastly improved undedr first year head coach Dennis Gates, playing an uptempo style and bludgeoning overwhelmed opponents in the process.
After beating seven straight inferior foes, Missouri hits the road for the first time to face Wichita State, the first KenPom top 100 team they will face all season. The Shockers are a defensive minded bunch that wants to play the game at a slow pace. Who will dictate the tempo and grab an impressive non conference win?
Here are the odds and our best bet:
Missouri vs. Wichita State Odds, Spread and Total
Missouri vs. Wichita State Prediction and Pick
Missouri is quietly turning into something far better than its preseason projections had showed. Gates brought in a host of mid-major transfers that have impressed early, including Missouri State transfer Isaiah Mosley, guard D'Moi Hodge (Cleveland State) and Noah Carter (Northern Iowa). The team is playing at the 14th fastest tempo while posting the fourth highest effective field goal percentage in the country.
Yes, the team has played an incredibly favorable schedule, but this does appear fairly sustainable as the team is top 10 in adjusted ShotQuality rating.
They will face a Wichita State team that thrives on defense, but are a bit lucky on that side of the ball. The Shockers limit foes to the 11th lowest effective field goal percentage this season, but are outside the top 100 in ShotQuality's defensive rating, meaning that they have overachieved there.
Missouri's offense will push the pace and also force a ton of turnovers against a shaky ball handling Shockers team. Wichita State is outside the top 100 in turnover rate while Missouri is forcing turnovers on 29% of defensive possessions, a number that will come down to Earth, but a sign of the aggressive pressure they apply.
I trust Missouri's offense to travel with a veteran group of transfers to get the job done and win this game by more than a possession.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.