WHAT A DAY FOR MISSOURI TIGERS FANS!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and was able to spend some quality time stuffing your faces with family and/or friends. And now that Black Friday is here, I hope you’re ready to spend your day rooting for the Missouri Tigers. It’s a big day for revenue sports, and it kicks off with Football facing Arkansas in Fayetteville, and finishes with Hoops facing Wichita State at home. WHAT A DAY. Since I’ll be working the Black Friday retail hellscape, I’ll likely miss out on following the football game, but am so excited to settle in for some Tiger Hoops at Mizzou Arena tonight.

Let’s see what the local media had to say about today’s games.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Dave Matter provided five things to watch for as the Tigers take on the Hogs this afternoon in the Battle Line “Rivalry.” As with anything from Matter, it’s well worth a read. Here’s what he had to say in regards to former Mizzou coach, Barry Odom:

The Tigers got the best of Odom’s defense last year in Columbia, shredding the Hogs for 653 yards of offense, still the most under Drinkwitz in 20 games against FBS opponents. This year, Odom’s defense doesn’t generate many sacks or turnovers by SEC standards, but Arkansas is among the league’s best on third downs and inside the red zone.

Nobody knows Mizzou’s offensive talent better than Odom — he signed Bazelak plus the teams’ top rusher (Tyler Badie) and receiver (Tauskie Dove) — but knowing them isn’t the same as stopping them. Odom favors a 3-2-6 defensive package that drops eight defenders into coverage but can be exposed by a strong running game.

Lila Bromberg previewed the basketball game for the KC Star, writing that Friday figures to be a defensive matchup between two teams that are struggling offensively. Her prediction? A Tiger win. LOVE TO SEE IT.

Wichita State has been the better defensive team so far though and the Shockers also boast a future NBA talent in Tyson Etienne. The Shockers have been great defensively but are shooting 38.5% from the field. KenPom ranks Wichita State No. 65 (as of Thursday morning).

On to the Links! Go TIGERS!

Yesterday at Rock M

• A final regular season Pregamin is on tap, featuring an all-star lineup of Brandon “BK” Kiley, Nate “The Great” Edwards, and Josh “Photoshop Wizard” Matejka.
• In a new Three & Out, Aaron looked at three important match ups to keep in mind if Mizzou plans on beating Arkansas in Fayetteville.
• Kortay wrote a really nice feature on changing the narrative of Mizzou Football’s 2021 season.

More Links:

Football

• The Tribune’s Eric Blum wrote about DL coach Al Davis’ “trench mob” mentality, which has improved the Tigers’ D-line.
• Matter also gave his Rivalry Week SEC Picks on the Egg Bowl, Iron Bowl, and Battle Line (presented by Shelter Insurance).
• AND, because he doesn’t stop working on a holiday, Matter said it’s that time of year to question whether the Tigers-Razorbacks showdown is indeed a true college football rivalry.
• Saturday Down South’s Stacey Mickles made the case for why Tyler Badie should be a Heisman finalist.
• Saturday Down South’s Andrew Olson shared some commitment news, as Georgia ATH Boyton Cheney out of Whitewater High School in Fayetteville, GA, committed to the Tigers on Thursday afternoon. He is not currently rated on any of the recruiting sites, but you can check out his HUDL, which is included in the piece. Welcome, Boyton!

• Travel photo time!

Hoops

• The Missourian’s Nate Marcus previewed women’s hoops’ trip out to Bethlehem, PA for the Christmas City Classic, which kicks off tomorrow.
• The Missourian’s Anthony Kristensen previewed the tough, but winnable matchup for the Tigers on Friday evening at the arena.
• The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Dave Matter previewed the Wichita State game, and included some nice quotes from Shockers coach Isaac Brown.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —

If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now!

If you’re looking to sign up for a new streaming service, you can try FuboTV: click HERE for FuboTV access — FuboTV now has ESPN, CBS, FS1 and more sports channels.

(** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earncommissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)