Missouri-Eastern Illinois lineups, broadcast, tipoff time, facts and figures
Missouri vs. Eastern Illinois
WHEN/WHERE: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia
TV/RADIO: SEC Network; KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Projected starters
P No. Missouri Ht. Yr. PPG
F 24 Kevin Puryear 6-7 So. 12.3
F 25 Russell Woods 6-8 Sr. 7.6
G 1 Terrence Phillips 5-11 So. 7.4
G 3 Frankie Hughes 6-4 Fr. 13.6
G 33 Cullen VanLeer 6-4 So. 7.6
P No. Eastern Illinois Ht. Yr. PPG
F 5 Ray Crossland 6-6 Jr. 11.1
F 25 Muusa Dama 6-9 Jr. 9.2
G 1 Demetrius McReynolds 6-2 Sr. 13.9
G 2 Cornell Johnston 5-7 Jr. 12.4
G 4 Montell Goodwin 6-2 Jr. 13.7
ABOUT MISSOURI (5-4): The Tigers’ offense is among the worst in the country with a 98.0 adjusted offensive efficiency, according to kenpom.com. That places Mizzou at No. 284 among 347 NCAA Division I teams with an effective field-goal percentage of 45.3 percent, which ranks 306th. Third-year coach Kim Anderson blames poor shot selection for his squad’s woes. Anderson and his staff recently sat down with every player on the roster to go over every shot he’s taken this season, hoping to help turn things around. Making a few three-pointers would help as the Tigers rank 333rd in the country, shooting a dismal 28.5 percent from long range. First-year Missouri assistant coach Emanuel Dildy played two seasons for Eastern Illinois and also served on the Panthers’ staff during the 2012-13 season. Anderson said freshman center Reed Nikko continues to make progress rehabbing a sprained ankle but likely won’t play in Saturday’s game.
ABOUT EASTERN ILLINOIS (6-4): The Panthers have won two of their last three road games and actually have outscored opposing teams by 10 points on the road despite a 2-3 record away Lantz Arena in Charleston, Ill. It shouldn’t be a surprise Eastern Illinois is well-coached. The Panthers are led by former Pittsburg State basketball star and Moberly Area Community College coach Jay Spoonhour, who is the son of former Missouri State, Saint Louis and UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour. Jay Spoonhour, who was a graduate assistant for two seasons at Mizzou under Quin Snyder, has loaded Eastern Illinois’ roster with players having Kansas City ties — including freshman guard Logan Koch (Mill Valley), sophomore forward Patrick Muldoon (Basehor-Linwood), sophomore forward Lucas Jones (Shawnee Mission East) and junior forward Muusa Dama, who played one season at William Jewell.
Tod Palmer: 816-234-4389, @todpalmer
This story was originally published December 16, 2016 at 10:22 AM with the headline "Missouri-Eastern Illinois lineups, broadcast, tipoff time, facts and figures."