Missouri men’s basketball was selected as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA March Madness Tournament. 

The team will face No. 10-seeded Utah State Thursday in the first round in the South region, headlined by the likes of No. 1 overall seed Alabama and No. 2 seed Arizona. 

This first-round matchup between Missouri and Utah State should be nothing short of an offensive battle.

The Utah State Aggies finished second in the Mountain West Conference this season, at a 26-8 record, led by junior guard Steven Ashworth, who averaged 16.3 points per game on the season. Ashworth is lethal from the 3-point line as well, shooting 44% on seven attempts per game in addition to being a smart playmaker. 

The Utah Aggies’ scoring leaders are also led by forward-duo Taylor Funk and Dan Akin along with guards Max Shulga and Sean Bairstow, who all averaged between 10.4 and 13.3 points per game. While not a deep team, the Aggies’ top five scorers are full of experience and bring efficient offense to the floor. 

Defensively, Utah State is less scary, but still nothing to underestimate. 

The Aggies finished seventh out of 11 teams in the Mountain West Conference in opponent points allowed per game, tallying 69.7. 

Utah State also has much more height inside the paint compared to Missouri, with Funk and Akin each measuring at 6-foot-9, and the senior center Trevin Dorius at 7-foot-1. Rebounding has been an issue all season for Missouri, and Utah State could exploit that with its size. 

Missouri is led by its All-SEC forward Kobe Brown, who recently earned the conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. On the season, Brown averaged 15.8 points on 6.3 rebounds and was a difference-maker for the Tigers all year. Next to him is graduate guard D’Moi Hodge — the Tigers’ deep threat — who averaged 14.8 points on 40% 3-point shooting. 

While the Tigers do have the talent, another aspect of the game will be on the sideline — with Utah State’s head coach Ryan Odom leading his team to another NCAA tournament berth following its NIT bid last season.

Missouri head coach Dennis Gates had nothing but praise for the second-year coach, stating that he is “a tremendous coach … [I have] nothing but respect for his program.” 

Gates is familiar with the Utah State team, but he and his team will do their “homework” to find the best way to play their opponents. 

Missouri allowed the most points per game in the SEC, which is concerning given the offensive prowess of Utah State. This means if Missouri goes cold, Utah State will likely heat up, and vice versa. This first-round matchup could go either way, depending heavily on which offense asserts its dominance the most and which defense has less of an impact. 

The player to watch for Missouri the most is D’Moi Hodge, who had an exceptional SEC Tournament, scoring 26 against Tennessee and 21 against Alabama. If he can continue his hot scoring streak, he has the potential to jumpstart the Missouri offense, and he could make a huge defensive impact against Ashworth.

Tip-off from Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, Thursday is set for 12:40 p.m.

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Edited by Matt Guzman | mguzman@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Grace Knight