.jpg "Georgia-at-Missouri-(ESPN2)")
Athens is buzzing with the hype of another SEC game in a different sport this week, but don’t sleep on the Georgia Bulldogs basketball team. Georgia is looking like an actual contender and might just make the NCAA Tournament for the third time this decade. The Bulldogs have an elite scorer in Yante Maten and some good role players too.
Georgia will be traveling to take on the Missouri Tigers. Missouri is still crushed after a last-second loss to Florida on its home court this weekend, but will try to rally and build off of that in this one.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at 9 p.m. ET at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Wednesday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Georgia has scored some very nice victories already this season. The Bulldogs were able to knock off Temple, Marquette, and Saint Mary’s in non-conference play and those wins should strengthen their case to make the NCAA Tournament.
This team has been a great one to bet on over the last few weeks. Since losing on the road to UMass, Georgia has covered five straight games and won four of those five. The lone loss was a narrow one on the road against Kentucky that showed this team is legit.
Poor Missouri. The Tigers looked like they might have turned a corner with their win on the road against South Carolina last week. They were tied up against Florida on their last possession, but turned it over leading to a last-second bucket and a loss this weekend.
A once promising year has already had its fair share of disappointment for this squad. Give credit to Cuonzo Martin as this team remains competitive, but it’s hard not to wonder about what could have been. Missouri is 2-6 ATS over its last eight games.
Player to Watch
Mark Fox and the Bulldogs are very glad that Yante Maten decided to come back for his senior year. Maten is one of the more underrated players in the country, yet has made this team competitive thanks to some great individual performances over the last few seasons.
Maten is a big power forward who can outmuscle most defenders down low and is the team’s primary mode of offense. He has rewarded them with continued solid shooting from the floor and almost always makes the right decision.
His rebounding has taken another step this year. Maten is nearly averaging a double-double at this point and picked up at least 10 boards in three of his last four games. Missouri is going to gameplan to stop him as best it can.
Key Stats
Missouri has proven to be a solid all-around team this season. However, the Tigers are turning the ball over too much and that has lost them at least one game in a direct fashion this season.
The Tigers are averaging more than 15 turnovers per game, and it’s not just one or two players guilty of a lot of carelessness. Every player but one in the rotation has at least 1.5 turnovers per game, and that has led to a lot of easy fastbreak points for opponents. Cuonzo Martin will be sure to work on that with his team heading into this one.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Mizzou doesn’t give up. This team has been excited to play under Martin and there is a buzz in the air surrounding this basketball team for the first time in a while.
Georgia plays very good defense and can slow down the game, but it is one-dimensional offense and can be shut down if you focus on taking Maten out of the game. That’s why I expect Missouri to get the cover here.
College Basketball Odds: Missouri 78, Georgia 72
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