Oct. 8, 2008
Columbia, Mo. -
Mizzou Basketball 2008-09 Television Schedule 
Mizzou Basketball released its finalized television schedule on Wednesday and the Tigers will have all-31 regular-season contests and both exhibition games televised this season.
The Mizzou Sports Network will televise 14 Missouri Basketball games this year, while the ESPN family of networks (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU) will air 11, the Big 12 Network (formerly ESPN-Plus) will carry seven and CBS will broadcast the March 1 meeting at Kansas.
Wednesday's announcement marks the third consecutive year Mizzou Basketball will have at least 30 games televised and the potential exists for each of Missouri's games to be carried live from coast-to-coast thanks to ESPN Full-Court/ESPN360. Each game appearing on ESPN or the Big 12 Network will be carried on Full-Court and all-14 Mizzou Sports Network games are available to the service for broadcast.
Head Coach Mike Anderson opens his third season at the helm of the Tiger program on Nov. 6 in the exhibition-opener against Lincoln University. Following a second exhibition tune-up against Missouri Southern on Nov. 11, the Tigers tip-off the regular season on Nov. 15 vs. Prairie View A&M in Columbia. All three contests will be televised by the Mizzou Sports Network.
Included in the television schedule are a few time and network updates, including the Jan. 3 contest at Georgia. That game was originally scheduled for a 3 p.m. (CT) tip in Athens, Ga., but has been moved to a noon start to accommodate television coverage. Missouri's Big 12 Conference opener at Nebraska has also been moved to a 1 p.m. tip in Lincoln and will be televised on ESPN2.
Missouri's first-two games at the 2008 O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off were also adjusted. Mizzou and Xavier will now meet at Noon (CT) in the opening round, with the second-round games slated for 12:30 p.m. (CT) for the winner's brackets contest and 10 a.m. (CT) for the consolation round.
While practice officially begins around the college basketball landscape on Oct. 17, the Tigers are in the midst of individual workouts and get two hours of practice time each week with the coaches up until that Oct. 17 start date. The club will also host its annual Black & Gold Game on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena. Admission to the event will be two cans of food and all proceeds go to the Central Missouri Food Bank. For fans not bringing food, tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children and seniors and Mizzou students are free with a valid ID.
Missouri is welcoming back four starters from the final 12 games of the 2007-08 season and adds an incredible seven newcomers to the roster, including 2007 University of Delaware transfer Zaire Taylor, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Missouri also adds junior college All-American Keith Ramsey and five high school standouts; Laurence Bowers, Marcus Denmon, Kim English, Steve Moore and Miguel Paul.
Missouri actually got an early jump on its 2008-09 season over the Labor Day weekend when the club went 3-0 during a three-game exhibition tour in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The Tigers eclipsed the 100-point barrier in all three games and enjoyed a 35.3 ppg average margin of victory. DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons led the club in scoring with 15.7 ppg, while Denmon (11.7), Paul (11.0) and J.T. Tiller (11.0) rounded out the top five. Lyons (5.3), Carroll (4.7) and Taylor (4.7) led the club in rebounding, and Taylor flourished defensively, ripping away 18 steals in just three contests.
For more information on the University of Missouri Basketball program, please visit our website, mutigers.com.