Missouri Tigers vs. Xavier Musketeers: Tipoff time, TV, projected lineups and a prediction
When/Where: Tuesday 6 p.m. at Mizzou Arena, Columbia
TV/Radio: ESPNU; KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Projected Lineups:
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-4 | So. | 11.6 |
G | 15 | Jordan Geist | 6-2 | Sr. | 12.7 |
F | 4 | Javon Pickett | 6-4 | Fr. | 6.4 |
F | 24 | Kevin Puryear | 6-7 | Sr. | 9.6 |
C | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | So. | 9.7 |
P | No. | Xavier | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
G | 1 | Paul Scruggs | 6-3 | So. | 12.7 |
G | 2 | Kyle Castlin | 6-4 | Sr. | 6 |
G | 3 | Quentin Goodin | 6-4 | Jr. | 12.7 |
F | 0 | Tyrique Jones | 6-9 | Jr. | 10.7 |
F | 13 | Naji Marshall | 6-7 | So. | 13.2 |
About Missouri (6-3): Missouri returns to action after an 11-day break to face Xavier, a team that has beaten the Tigers a few times in recent years. A win would give Mizzou more momentum with Saturday’s Braggin’ Rights game against Illinois looming. Freshman Torrence Watson is averaging 12 points over his last two games and his recent outburst could be a game-changer for MU. Mark Smith continues to be one of the conference’s best three-point shooters, hitting 47 percent of his shots.
About Xavier (7-4): The Musketeers are in their first year under rookie head coach Travis Steele, who became the latest Xavier coach to get the top job after Chris Mack left for Louisville. Xavier is built a lot like Missouri, as the team has very balanced scoring and has four players that could go off at any time. The Musketeers are also the worst team in the Big East when it comes to three-point defense, allowing teams to shoot 37 percent against them, which is something MU will likely try to exploit.
Prediction: Two teams with similar resumes and personnel facing off would lend one to side with home-court advantage. Mark Smith scores 20 in preparation for his Illinois reunion on Saturday while K.J. Santos adds eight, including a late tip-in to give MU a big one. Missouri 67, Xavier 64