Game Information
#15 Missouri Tigers (21-8, 10-6 SEC) at Oklahoma Sooners (17-12, 4-12 SEC)
Time: 7pm CST Wednesday
How to watch: SEC Network+
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Missouri -4.5
Total: 162.5
KenPom projection: Missouri 81, Oklahoma 79
Mizzou Looking For Bounceback
The Missouri Tigers look to rebound from arguably their most painful loss of the season when they head to Norman to face the Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday night.
Mizzou let a late lead slip away on Saturday and fell to Vanderbilt 97-93 in overtime. Despite the loss, an emerging betting trend for the Tigers continues to cash for those paying attention.
Tigers Are First Half Kings
Even in defeat against Vandy, the Tigers covered the first half spread and are now 21-8 overall and 12-4 in the SEC against the first half number.
Why is Mizzou so dominant early in games?
I think Dennis Gates excels at identifying how other teams are both attacking and defending the Tigers in the first few minutes of the game, and then he knows how to counter and can deploy the right players from his deep roster to execute his plan.
With such a wide array of impactful players, I think Gates can make in-game adjustments faster than most other coaches can because they don’t have the luxury of having such a deep and talented roster. And that leads to covering a lot of first half spreads.
Sooners A Previous Mizzou Victim
Oklahoma was one of the recipients of a Mizzou first half beatdown back on February 12th in Columbia. The Tigers led that game 44-24 at halftime on their way to an easy 82-58 victory.
The Sooners were pushed around by Mizzou in that game, as the Tigers repeatedly were able to get easy buckets inside and get to the free throw line. The Tigers had so much success at the rim against Oklahoma that they only had 12 three-point attempts in the game, which is the fewest attempts for Mizzou in any SEC contest this season.
My Pick
I’ve cashed my Mizzou first half bet in each of the last three games, so why stop now?
Oklahoma ranks near the bottom of the SEC in nearly every KenPom defensive metric, so the Tigers should be able to put up plenty of points.
But the Sooners have been competing lately. Their last three games have been a win over #25 Mississippi State, a one-point loss to Kentucky, and a three-point loss at Mississippi. This is a game Mizzou absolutely has a chance to lose. But I’ll take the second half out of the equation here and continue to ride the Tigers getting off to hot starts.
Pick: Missouri -2.5 in the first half at -105 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the Sports Hub STL YouTube channel. Click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Disclaimer