Missouri-Elon men’s basketball preview
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 3 | Johnathan Williams III | 6-9 | So. | 11.1 |
F | 44 | Ryan Rosburg | 6-10 | Jr. | 3.8 |
G | 13 | Montaque Gill-Caesar | 6-6 | Fr. | 14.0 |
G | 14 | Keith Shamburger | 5-11 | Sr. | 7.9 |
G | 15 | Wes Clark | 6-0 | So. | 9.0 |
P | No. | Elon | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 12 | Christian Hairston | 6-7 | So. | 5.6 |
F | 32 | Ryan Winters | 6-7 | Sr. | 5.9 |
G | 3 | Tanner Samson | 6-4 | Jr. | 13.8 |
G | 10 | Austin Hamilton | 5-10 | Sr. | 5.3 |
G | 11 | Kevin Blake | 6-3 | Sr. | 6.1 |
▪ WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m. Thursday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia
▪ TV/RADIO: SEC Network; KMBZ (980 AM)
▪ ABOUT MISSOURI (4-4): Missouri broke the starting gate at Oklahoma. The Tigers hung with the Sooners most of the first half, but wound up losing by 19 and continue to struggle offensively. Fans looking for hallmarks of progress should pay attention to turnovers and free throws. The Tigers commit 14.4 turnovers per game and have coughed up 17 more than opponents this season. MU also has been to the free-throw line far less than its opponents, 162 attempts for the Tigers and 191 for opponents, and is shooting a far worse percentage, 64.2 percent compared to 70.2.
▪ ABOUT ELON (5-3): The Phoenix has averaged 114 points in its last two games. Of course, those were wins against Virginia University-Lynchburg and Central Pennsylvania. Still, Elon took Northwestern to overtime earlier this season, so there won’t be an intimidation factor. Guard Tanner Samson is the only starter scoring in double figures, but Elon brings two players of the bench who can score, freshman guard Elijah Bryant, who averages 12.6 points per game, and sophomore guard Luke Eddy, who averages 11.9.
| Tod Palmer, tpalmer@kcstar.com
This story was originally published December 10, 2014 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Missouri-Elon men’s basketball preview."