Tennessee vs. Missouri: How to watch

The Tennessee Volunteers are officially slumping, and things won’t get much easier today inside of Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee has dropped two of their last three games, the latest coming against Vanderbilt on a dramatic buzzer beater from the corner.

Just two weeks ago we were discussing a one-seed for the Volunteers. Now they need a win today to salvage the chance at a No. 2 or even a No. 3. They’ll welcome the Missouri Tigers to town, who have taken a big step forward in the their first season under Dennis Gates.

Missouri is 18-6 overall and 6-5 in conference play. Guard Kobe Brown is lighting it up for Gates this year, scoring over 16 points per game and shooting a ridiculous 45 percent from three-point range. D’Moi Hodge isn’t too far behind, scoring 14 per game and hitting 38 percent of his shots from deep.

Hodge and Brown will run into Tennessee’s top-ranked defense this evening, however. Defense has never been the issue for Tennessee, it’s been an inconsistent offense that has plagued Rick Barnes. The Volunteers will have to make some shots tonight, welcoming KenPom’s 9th ranked offense to Knoxville tonight.

Barnes also seemed impressed with Missouri’s defense, calling them one of the more unique teams in the league.

“They’re going to pick you up 94 feet,” Barnes said. “Very active with their hands and they’ll change their defenses. They’ll do a little different zone pressure on the side and under the basket. They can go back and play some zone. Mainly playing with like-size players. They’re going to switch everything, not afraid to do it.”

Tennessee is favored by 12 points tonight, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

Injury note: Josiah-Jordan James sprained his ankle late against Vanderbilt. Barnes said he was in a boot on Friday, so I’m just guessing we won’t see him play tonight. But that’s just a guess, we’ll see.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See DraftKings.com/sportsbook for details.

How to watch

Location: Knoxville, Tennessee

Time: 6 p.m. ET

TV: SEC Network

Streaming: Watch ESPN, ESPN App