With top-ranked Kentucky coming off a pair of overtime victories, this may not be the best time to be playing the Wildcats.
They may be a little angry.
But Missouri coach Kim Anderson believes there may not be a good time to play Kentucky, struggling or not.
"I wish they hadn't had a couple of close games, to be candid," Anderson said Monday during the Southeastern Conference coaches teleconference. "When they don't play great, they still find ways to win."
Good time or not, the Tigers (7-8 overall, 1-1 SEC) will travel to Lexington, Ky., for tonight's contest against the Wildcats (15-0, 2-0). Game time is 8 p.m. (ESPN-TV).
"Your margin for error against Kentucky is so slim you have to be on top of your game on both ends of the floor," Anderson said.
Kentucky opened conference play with wins against Mississippi (89-86 in OT) and Texas A&M (70-64 in double OT). Wildcats coach John Calpari isn't upset his team has been tested.
"I've said all along you don't want to go through a season when you weren't pushed," he said Monday. "Every team in the country has issues, everybody is working through something."
Not that Calipari wants close games to become a habit for the Wildcats.
"Enough is enough, let's have a few games where things are easier for us," he said. "I think every game we play is someone's Super Bowl, they're going to play out of their minds."
Devin Booker, a freshman guard, has provided a spark for Kentucky. Booker, the son of former Missouri guard Melvin Booker, was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday after averaging 15.5 points on 50 percent shooting in the two victories.
"He really performed," Calipari said. "He attacked, he didn't stand around didn't settle for jumpers, he made his free throws."
Booker was outstanding from beyond the arc, going 7-of-10 on 3-pointers last week. In his last five games, Booker is 16-of-21 from long distance.
While Booker has grabbed the spotlight in recent games, the Wildcats have as much talent throughout the roster as anyone in the country.
"It's a team with so many different weapons, they are so deep," Anderson said "They're big, they're strong."
With a starting front line of freshman Karl-Anthony Towns (6-foot-11), junior Willie Cauley-Stein (7-0) and Trey Lyles (6-10), holding their own in the paint figures to be a tough task for the smaller Tigers tonight.
"We will be undersized no matter who we put out there," Anderson said "A huge key for us will be the ability to compete on the boards and keep them from getting a ton of second shots."
Kentucky has outrebounded its opponents by an average of nine per game so far this season, while Missouri is basically even with its foes.
"We need everybody we have to play maybe above the level they normally play," Anderson said.
Calapri said he has been impressed with what he's seen from the Tigers in their two conference games.
"They lost a lot from last year and you'd think they wouldn't be this confident," he said. "They're excited about league play, you can see the fight that they have, they're not surrendering."
Missouri, which will play without freshman forward Montaque Gill-Caesar for the third straight game because of a back injury, is using tonight's game as a measuring stick.
"We just want to go in there and play hard and see how we stack up," Anderson said.