Men’s Basketball Opens SEC Tournament Wednesday versus Georgia

The University of Missouri men’s basketball team opens postseason play on Wednesday night, squaring off against Georgia in the SEC First Round. Tipoff in Nashville is at approximately 8:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Missouri completed the 2023-24 regular season with an 8-23 record and 0-18 in SEC play.
• Graduate Sean East II has led Mizzou throughout, averaging a team-best 17.9 points and 4.0 assists.
• East has been at his best as of late, scoring at least 20 points in the last seven games.
• Four Tigers are scoring in double figures as Tamar Bates (13.5), Nick Honor (11.0) and Noah Carter (11.0) follow East’s lead.
• Carter also leads all active Tigers with 4.8 boards.
• The Tigers are averaging 72.6 points and allowing 76.6 points per game.

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
• Georgia finished tied for 11th in the SEC with a 6-12 conference mark, going 16-15 overall.
• After a strong start to the conference season (4-2), the Bulldogs won just two of their final 12 league games.
• Noah Thomasson (12.8) and Jabri Abdur-Rahim (12.2) lead the team in scoring.
• Russel Tchewa has a team-best 6.8 boards, while Justin Hill leads Georgia with 3.3 assists.
• Georgia averages 75.0 points per game with a scoring defense of 74.7.

SERIES HISTORY
• Missouri owns an 11-9 advantage in 20 all-time meetings, while the Bulldogs hold a slight edge since the Tigers joined the SEC, 9-8.
• The schools met in the conference opener on Jan. 6 this season with Georgia claiming a 75-68 win. The Tigers led with under five minutes left but a late 9-0 run led to the Bulldogs victory.
• Sean East II led four Tigers in double figures with 18 points to go with eight assists.
• While Georgia earned the win over Mizzou this season, the Tigers have had the better of the series as of late – winning six of the last eight.

SEC TOURNEY VERSUS GEORGIA
• The Tigers and Bulldogs are meeting for the fourth time in the last six tournaments.
• Georgia is now MU’s most common opponent in its SEC Tournament history, breaking a tie with Ole Miss.
• Overall, Mizzou owns a 2-1 edge over Georgia – winning the last two contests (2019 and 2021).

SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Mizzou is competing in its 10th SEC Tournament since joining the league in 2012-13, posting a 7-9 record in its first nine attempts.
• Last year, MU advanced to its first-ever semifinal after defeating nationally-ranked Tennessee, 79-71, in the quarterfinals.
• Overall, the Tigers own a 3-1 record in the first round, winning their last three games on the opening day.

TOP SEC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
• Sean East II was honored as the best in the SEC for his combination of work on the court and in the classroom, earning SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades on Monday.
• On the court, East ranks fifth in the SEC with 17.9 points and ninth with 4.0 assists.
• In the classroom, East earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies with a 3.64 grade point average, while pursuing his master’s in positive coaching with a GPA of 3.90.
• East is the second Tiger to earn the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor, joining Kobe Brown last season.

TOP NUMBERS
• Overall, Sean East II is enjoying one of the best seasons in years by a Tiger.
• East is currently ranked fifth in the SEC in scoring (17.9) and ninth in assists (4.0).
• East’s 17.9 points per game are the most by a Tiger since Jabari Brown (19.9) in 2013-14.
• East needs nine assists to become the first Tiger in 30 years (and just third ever) with 500 points and 125 assists in a single season (Melvin Booker in 1993-94 and Anthony Peeler in 1989-90).

EAST CATCHES FIRE
• Since returning from an injury, Sean East II has been at his best over the last seven games.
• East has averaged 25.1 points since missing two contests with a knee injury, scoring at least 20 in all seven games since his return.
• The guard is shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from 3-point range, while averaging 8.1 made free throws during the run.
• Overall, East’s 176 points in the last seven contests are the most by any Tiger in a seven-game run since Anthony Peeler tallied 177 points from Feb. 29, 1992 to March 21, 1992.

20-POINT THREAT
• Sean East II has made reaching the 20-point threshold quite the habit this year.
• After scoring 20 points twice in 90 career games before the year, East has reached the mark 14 times in 2023-24 – the most by a Tiger since Jabari Brown (19) and Jordan Clarkson (14) in 2013-14.
• In addition, East is the first Tiger to score at least 20 points in seven-straight games since Doug Smith had a nine-game run in 1990-91.