Saturday’s SEC slate brings a lot of intrigue. Multiple high-leverage games are set to take place with teams competing at the top of the league. But the biggest matchup of them all, at least from an NCAA Tournament perspective, takes place in Columbia, MO.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi says Missouri hosting Texas is the “game of the day (year?) in terms of the overall bubble picture.” Both teams are going to be fighting down the stretch in order to be included in the field of 68. Getting a head-to-head victory over the other could be huge come Selection Sunday. And Lunardi made sure to be honest about the implications.
Texas is currently a part of the ‘Last Four Byes’ category, still having a little bit of breathing room. Missouri is looking to get up there. The Tigers are Lunardi’s final team in the field at the moment. TCU beating Oklahoma State earlier in the day placed Mizzou in this position. And with San Diego State and Ohio State still yet to play, a win is required for the home team.
Lunardi provided a mid-day update on where his Bracketology stands at 6:20 p.m. ET. You can check out the situation for both Missouri and Texas below.
Texas will enter the night on a three-game winning streak. Those have come against teams all in the bottom four of the SEC standings, meaning the Longhorns have beaten whom they need to. In total, Sean Miller holds a 6-5 record during his first season in charge on the 40 Acres.
The trajectory for Missouri is similar, also winning three games on the bounce. However, beating Texas A&M on Wednesday was a massive boost for the Tigers. Mizzou is looking to continue its ascension by getting a victory in front of its own fans. They have been pretty good at Mizzou Arena, winning 13 of 14 games there.
And as Lunardi points out, more than just a normal win will be on the line. We are still a good bit away from any kind of bracket being released, as a few weeks of conference play and conference tournaments remain on the schedule.
Tip-off from CoMo is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET. ESPN2 will have the broadcast in what will be one of the final games of the slate. Plenty of other programs will be affected by this result, meaning a lot of eyeballs should tune in.