NIT first-round preview: Davidson (7) at Missouri (2)
| P | No. | Davidson | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
| F | 24 | De’Mon Brooks | 6-7 | Sr. | 18.7 |
| G | 35 | Chris Czerapowicz | 6-7 | Sr. | 8.7 |
| G | 23 | Tom Droney | 6-6 | Sr. | 10.3 |
| G | 4 | Tyler Kalinoski | 6-4 | Jr. | 10.9 |
| G | 3 | Brian Sullivan | 5-11 | So. | 13.2 |
| P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
| F | 3 | Johnathan Williams III | 6-9 | Fr. | 5.9 |
| F | 45 | Keanau Post | 6-11 | Jr. | 1.5 |
| G | 5 | Jordan Clarkson | 6-5 | Jr. | 17.7 |
| G | 32 | Jabari Brown | 6-5 | Jr. | 19.8 |
| G | 33 | Earnest Ross | 6-5 | Sr. | 13.7 |
8 p.m. Tuesday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia
• TV/RADIO:ESPN2; KMBZ (980 AM, 98.1 FM)
• ABOUT DAVIDSON (20-12):The Wildcats received an automatic NIT bid by winning the Southern Conference regular-season title, going 15-1 but getting upended in the conference tourney semifinals by Western Carolina. De’Mon Brooks leads Davidson in scoring (18.7) and rebounding (7.1) and was the Southern Conference player of the year, but he’s also the team’s tallest starter at 6 feet 7. Junior Tyler Kalinoski, an Olathe East graduate, is one of four Wildcats to average double figures (10.9). He’s also good for 4.9 rebounds per game, shoots 46.3 percent from three-point range and leads Davidson with 105 assists with only 45 turnovers.
• ABOUT MISSOURI (22-11):The Tigers’ school-record streak of five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances was snapped Sunday, so it remains to be seen how fired up coach Frank Haith’s team is for a first-round NIT game. Fewer than 5,000 are expected Tuesday at Mizzou Arena, and Missouri might be substantially depleted. Senior Tony Criswell did not make the trip to Atlanta for the SEC Tournament and probably won’t be available against Davidson, Haith said. The Tigers’ two reserve guards, freshmen Wes Clark and Shane Rector, also face a possible suspension after being arrested Saturday for misdemeanor marijuana possession. That could leave the Tigers with no backup guards and a three-man bench that includes either junior Keanau Post or sophomore Ryan Rosburg (one will start), freshman Torren Jones and seldom-used junior walk-on Danny Feldman, a transfer from Columbia.
• BOTTOM LINE:This story was originally published March 17, 2014 at 5:18 PM with the headline "NIT first-round preview: Davidson (7) at Missouri (2)."