Missouri 88, Kentucky 81: One factor working against the Wildcats today is their lack of luck in road games; they are 3-6 in such affairs this season. And consider the Tigers’ dominance at home, winners of 18 of 19 outings at Mizzou Arena in 2024-25. (Missouri’s lone home setback: Texas A&M earned a 67-64 win last month.) While the environment won’t be friendly to the visitors, neither will the hosts be hospitable on the floor. Which is the area of greatest concern for the Wildcats. With Kriisa and Robinson sidelined the remainder of the season, it heaps even greater responsibility on the (hurt) shoulders of Lamont Butler to run the offense. As he continues to nurse himself back to health, however, he can’t play all 40 minutes. That’s where freshman Travis Perry, a more natural off-ball guard than primary distributor, has been called upon to run the point to give Butler a breather. When opponents see Perry on the floor, they’ve gone out of their way to attack him. Expect Mizzou’s opportunistic defense to also focus on making Perry’s life a nightmare: The Tigers produce the most steals per game (9.7) of any SEC team. They’ll swipe the ball away from Perry a few times this afternoon. And in a game where every possession will count, those empty trips offensively will cost Kentucky in the end. Chalk up a single-digit victory for the Tigers on the day they honor their senior class.

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.