Road Trip to Xavier Up Next for @MizzouHoops

Opponent	Location	Day/Time	Media
at Xavier Buy Tickets	Cintas Center	Friday, Nov. 13 5:30 p.m. CT	TV: Fox Sports 1 Radio: Tiger Network Online: Live Audio \| Live Stats Game Notes

#ZOUNotes

Mizzou Men's Basketball next heads to Cincinnati, Ohio, for its first road test of the season at Xavier (Tuesday, Nov. 17). The Tigers and Musketeers tip off at 5:31 p.m. CT on FS1 from the Cintas Center.
Head coach Kim Anderson's squad has improved its passing and movement on offense. In the Tigers' first two games of the season, Mizzou has just 19 turnovers. Comparatively, the Tigers had 29 turnovers through its opening two contests in 2014-15.
Improving Mizzou's offensive flow was a priority for Anderson in the offseason. Currently, the Tigers have an assisted field goal rate of 49 percent (24 assists, 49 field goals). Mizzou posted a 43.2-percent mark through its first two games last season.
Mizzou scored 83 points in its season-opening win vs. Wofford, surpassing last season's high of 79 points (at Auburn, Jan. 10, 2015).
Anderson has entered his second season at the helm with the retooling of his roster underway: five newcomers (four freshmen, one JUCO transfer) joined the Tigers.

About Xavier

Head coach Kim Anderson's squad next faces Xavier, its first 2015 NCAA Sweet Sixteen team of three (Arizona, NC State) on its 2015-16 nonconference schedule. A fourth matchup is possible vs. North Carolina in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic (Tuesday, Nov. 24). Mizzou could also face Northwestern.
Xavier (1-0) started its 2015-16 season with an 81-72 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 13. Freshman guard Edmond Sumner scored 19 points in the win.
The Musketeers, led by head coach Chris Mack, came out of their first-ever visit to Columbia with a win last season, 74-58, on Dec. 13, 2014. Otherwise, Tuesday's Mizzou-Xavier matchup is just the second on-campus contest in the series, as the other three MU-XU contests occurred at neutral sites.

Closer Look at the Musketeers

Four Musketeers scored at least 10 points in the group's win over Miami (Ohio), with freshman guard Edmond Sumner's 19 points leading the way. Sophomore guard J.P. Macura followed Sumner with 17 points of his own.
Xavier saw a big performance from junior forward Jalen Reynolds in the win, as the 6-10 big man recorded his fourth career double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Reynolds was also active on defense, recording a team-best four steals.
Macura, Reynolds and Sumner were also able to get to the line in the win, as the trio shot a combined 19-of-24 from the charity stripe.

Strong Weekend for Puryear

Freshman forward Kevin Puryear averaged 16.5 points per game for the first two games of his collegiate career.
With his 20-point outburst in Mizzou's season-opening, 83-74 win vs. Wofford (Nov. 13), Puryear joined an exclusive list of debuts.
Other 20-point Tiger freshman debuts in the last 40 years: Montaque Gill-Ceaser, 21 points vs. UMKC (Nov. 14, 2014), Jevon Crudup, 22 points at Rutgers (Nov. 27, 1990), Steve Stipanovich, 23 points vs. Southwest Texas State (Nov. 30, 1979).

Walton Drives and Dishes

Freshman guard K.J. Walton earned the start for Mizzou in its season-opener vs. Wofford (Nov. 13), but was called upon from the bench vs. UMES (Nov. 15). The slight change did not faze Walton, as the newcomer surged in the second half, scoring 11 points and shooting 9-of-10 at the free throw line.
At just the second game of the 2015-16 season, Walton's aggressive play already holds significance. Only one game occurred during the 2014-15 season in which a Mizzou guard took 10 or more free throw attempts.
Walton also dished out three assists in the win over UMES to tie for the Mizzou team-high with junior guard Wes Clark.

Schedule