Missouri to host Southern Mississippi on Sunday in second round of NIT

Missouri will face Southern Mississippi at 4 p.m. Sunday in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament at Mizzou Arena.

The game will be televised on ESPNU.

The third-seeded Golden Eagles, 28-6, advanced Wednesday with a 66-59 win against Toledo, while the second-seeded Tigers rallied past Davidson on Tuesday for the program’s second win in eight NIT appearances.

Four Southern Mississippi starters scored in double figures led by forward Michael Craig, who poured in 16 points.

Craig is the Eagles’ leading scorer (11.3) and rebounder (7.4) this season.

Southern Mississippi had the highest RPI among teams left out of the NCAA Tournament field at No. 33.

The Eagles, who went 13-3 in conference, finished in a four-way tie for first place in the Conference USA regular-season standings with Louisiana Tech, Tulsa and Middle Tennessee State.

Southern Mississippi’s roster also includes Sumner Academy graduate Neil Watson, who started his career at Toledo then spent one season at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.

He’s in his second season with the Eagles and averages 10.4 points and a team-best 3.9 assists. Watson ranks third in the nation, shooting 93.3 percent at the free-throw line.

This story was originally published March 19, 2014 at 11:29 PM with the headline "Missouri to host Southern Mississippi on Sunday in second round of NIT."