Cleveland State vs Missouri Prediction 11/3/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Cleveland State Vikings and the Missouri Tigers meet Tuesday in college basketball action from the Mizzou Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. 

Cleveland State Vikings vs Missouri Tigers Prediction

I’m leaning towards Missouri here. I just don’t think that Cleveland State has the horses to keep this game close for a full 40 minutes. I’m not sure how eager I’ll be to back Missouri when they face teams that are more their speed and calibre but against a team like Cleveland State, I think Missouri has more than enough going for them here to back them at home. Give me Mizzou.

Cleveland State Vikings Recap

The Cleveland State Vikings enter the 2026-27 season looking to reset under head coach Rob Summers after wrapping up a 2025-26 campaign where Cleveland State finished 11-22 overall and 6-14 in Horizon League play. The Vikings navigated a challenging schedule throughout the year, picking up key conference wins over Youngstown State, Wright State, Green Bay, Milwaukee, and Oakland, before entering the Horizon League tournament as the 10-seed and securing a 101-93 play-in round victory over IU Indy prior to falling 61-90 against top-seeded Wright State in the first round. Heading into this season, Cleveland State undergoes a total roster transformation with zero returning players, meaning the entire squad relies on new faces and incoming talent. To completely rebuild the rotation, the Vikings have heavily utilized the transfer portal and newcomer ranks, welcoming an entirely new cast of impact players that includes Micah Bays from Division II Central State, who averaged 15.5 points per game last season, Owen Bronston Jr. from South Carolina State, who averaged 10.3 points, Derek Vorst from Indiana State, who contributed 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds, Curtis Stinson Jr. from North Texas, Jordan Lowery from UT Arlington, Rayvon Griffith from Kent State, and Alex Bruskotter from Wright State. Blending a completely revamped, transfer-heavy roster brings plenty of intrigue, and the influx of seasoned scoring talent gives Cleveland State a fascinating blank slate to shake up the Horizon League this season.

Why the Cleveland State Vikings will win

• Missouri has lost each of its last four games.
• Missouri has lost the first half in seven of its last eight night games.

Missouri Tigers Recap

The Missouri Tigers enter the 2026-27 season looking to build upon another competitive campaign under head coach Dennis Gates after finishing the 2025-26 season with a 20-13 overall record and a 10-8 mark in SEC conference play. The Tigers put together a strong conference schedule throughout the year, securing key victories over Auburn, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee, before earning an NCAA tournament appearance and dropping a tight 66-80 first-round matchup against Miami. Heading into this season, Missouri maintains core leadership by returning Trent Pierce, who anchors the returning production after averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last season. While navigating notable roster departures such as Mark Mitchell, Anthony Robinson, T.O. Barrett, and Jayden Stone, the Tigers have heavily bolstered their rotation through the transfer portal, adding high-impact newcomers such as Cord Stansberry from Western Carolina, who averaged 14.1 points per game, Jordan Crawford from South Dakota, who contributed 14.4 points, Jamier Jones from Providence, who posted 11.9 points and 4.5 rebounds, Kennard Davis from BYU, Jaylen Carey from Tennessee, and Bryson Tiller from Kansas. Blending a returning scoring presence with a massive influx of elite transfer talent gives Missouri a deep and formidable roster capable of making a major push in the SEC standings this season.

Why the Missouri Tigers will win

• Missouri has won each of its last 24 games against non-Conference opponents at Mizzou Arena.
• Cleveland State has lost each of its last six road games against non-Conference opponents.
• Missouri has won the first half in each of its last eight home games against non-Conference opponents.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Missouri -26.5