On January 9, 2019, things were still unclear as to how the rest of the season would play out for the Missouri Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers.
This isn’t to say the two programs were in the same place. Tennessee had completed a strong non-conference slate with wins over Georgetown, Louisville and Gonzaga, assuming a place in the top five of the national polls. Meanwhile, Missouri had gone a respectable 9-3 out of conference with decent wins against UCF and Oregon State, along with its first Braggin’ Rights victory in five years. By and large, the two were both respectable, if not comparable.