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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Coming off a 17-point home victory, the Mizzou men’s basketball team takes to the road for the first time in the 2021-22 season for the Jacksonville Classic presented by Fabletics. The Tigers (2-1) are set to open the tournament against SMU Sunday at 7 p.m. CT, followed by a Monday matchup against either Florida State or Loyola Marymount.
All matchups will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, in addition to the Tiger Radio Network. Matt Michaels and Brad Loos will have the radio call for Mizzou.
MIZZOU HEADLINES
- The Tigers opened the on-campus portion of the Jacksonville Classic with a 54-37 win against Northern Illinois. Mizzou ended the game on a 26-6 run highlighted by Kobe Brown’s first double-double of the season (13 points and 13 rebounds).
- Mizzou’s 37 points allowed are the fewest in a game by an SEC team this season, and the fewest the Tigers have given up since 2019.
- Thursday’s game was a career night for sophomore Jordan Wilmore who bested nearly all of his career highs, with 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
- Ronnie DeGray III has been a presence off the bench for Missouri, averaging 12.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. DeGray is top-25 in the country with four offensive rebounds per game.
THE SERIES
- Sunday will be the first meeting between Mizzou and SMU in over 20 years and the first on a neutral site since 1946.
- Missouri has won the last five in the series between the two opponents, however, the last two matchups between the squads was decided by single-digits.
- Monday is poised to be a rare matchup for the Tigers, taking on either Florida State or Loyola Marymount. The Tigers have never played LMU and have played Florida State just once in last 40 years.
- Should they play the Seminoles it would be the first regular-season meeting since Dec. 19, 1980. Florida State leads the all-time series 3-1.
SCOUTING SMU
- SMU enters the weekend 3-1, with its only loss coming against Oregon.
- The Mustangs are led by sixth year head coach Tim Jankovich.
- Through their first four games, the Mustangs rank top-40 nationally in 3-point field goal attempts, averaging 26 per game at 33.7 percent shooting. The team leader in 3-pointers is Emmanuel Bandoumel who averages 2.5 per game.
- Kendric Davis leads the nation with 28 made free throws this season and a 90.3 percent result at the line.
- SMU boasts an experienced roster with seven players listed as seniors.
SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE
- The Seminoles entered the 2021-22 season as a preseason top-25 selection and have since dropped out of the rankings after a loss to Florida.
- Florida State enters the tournament 2-1, coming off a win against Tulane on Wednesday.
- Should the two teams play each other, another defense battle could be in store for the Tigers. Florida State has held opponents to an average of 65.0 points per game this season and recorded 19 blocks as a team.
- Malik Osborne leads the team with 15 points per game and 9.7 rebounds and is coming off a nine point, 10 rebound outing against Tulane.
SCOUTING LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
- Loyola Marymount also enters the weekend sitting at 2-1, with wins against Arizona Christian and Little Rock.
- The Lions are also a heavy three-point shooting team, sitting at fifth in the country with 136 attempts. However, LMU is 320th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 25.7 percent from deep.
- LMU scored a season-high 82 points against Little Rock thanks to Joe Quintana who has put together back-to-back games of 20 points for the Lions.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest information on Mizzou Men’s Basketball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @MizzouHoops. Fans should call 1-800-CAT-PAWS for tickets or buy online today!
