@MizzouHoops Hosts Florida for SEC Home Opener on Saturday

Saturday, January 6

Columbia, Mo.

12 PM CT

University of Missouri

Florida

@MizzouHoops Hosts Florida for SEC Home Opener on Saturday

1/5/2018 1:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Tigers and Gators tip off at Noon on CBS from Mizzou Arena

Mizzou Men's Basketball (11-3, 1-0) takes on Florida (10-4, 2-0) on Saturday, Jan. 6, for the Tigers' Southeastern Conference home opener. Tipoff is scheduled for Noon CT on CBS from Mizzou Arena.

Mizzou vs. Florida
Jan. 6, Noon CT
CBS

Game Notes

Game Promotions

Mizzou's matchup against Florida (Jan. 6) is the Tigers' annual Blackout Game.
Fans are encouraged to wear predominantly Black (with only a little Gold) as they cheer on Mizzou against the Gators. Gates open at 10:30 a.m. for the Noon tipoff.

Story Lines

Mizzou Men's Basketball (11-3, 1-0) takes on Florida (10-4, 2-0) on Saturday, Jan. 6, for the Tigers' Southeastern Conference home opener. Tipoff is scheduled for Noon CT on CBS from Mizzou Arena.
The national broadcast on CBS is the Tigers' first since the 2013-14 season. Mizzou's game vs. No. 11 Kentucky on Feb. 1, 2014, was carried by CBS.
Mizzou is 7-0 at home to start the season -- its best home start since the 2013-14 season when the Tigers won their first eight.
The Black & Gold completed its most successful nonconference schedule since the 2013-14 season (12-1), winning 10 games against three losses.
The Tigers improved to 3-3 in SEC openers with their 79-68 win at South Carolina (Jan. 3). Head coach Cuonzo Martin improved to 6-0 all-time coaching against the Gamecocks.
Graduate senior guard Kassius Robertson became the first Tiger to score 20 points or more in three consecutive games since the 2013-14 season with his 23 points at South Carolina, which matched his season-best. Robertson scored 22 vs. Illinois (Dec. 23) and 23 vs. Stephen F. Austin (Dec. 19).
Senior forward Jordan Barnett is averaging 18.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game over the Tigers' last nine games. In that stretch, Barnett is converting 52.4 percent of his field goal attempts (55-105 FG) and 49.2 percent of his three-pointers (29-59 3PT), all while scoring in double-figures each game.
Mizzou's 137 three-pointers rank as the most in program history through 14 games, ahead of the 1999-2000 season's 129 through 14 games. Mizzou sank 123 triples in 14 games in 2009-10.
Freshman forward Jontay Porter recorded four blocks in the win at South Carolina; his fourth game with at least four swats this season.

Scouting Florida

Mizzou will host its first SEC home game of the season on Saturday, Jan. 6, as the Tigers face Florida. The Gators lead the all-time series between the two schools, 5-2.
Under third-year head coach Mike White, Florida has posted a record of 10-4 to start the season. The Gators have won their first two SEC contests, defeating Vanderbilt, 81-74, on Dec. 30, and Texas A&M, 83-66, on Jan. 2.
Four Gators are currently averaging double-figures in scoring, led by junior guard Jalen Hudson with 16.9 points per game. Graduate guard Egor Koulechov follows at 15.0 points per game, while senior guard Chris Chiozza posts 13.1 points per game
As a team, Florida averages 83.4 points per game and allows 73.3 points per game. The Gamecocks have shot 44.5 percent from the field thus far in the 2017-18 season.

Notes From The Win At South Carolina

The Tigers were lethal from beyond the three-point arc, connecting on 14-of-24 triples. As a team, Mizzou has connected on 10-or-more three-pointers 10 times this season, including five in its last six games.
Mizzou matched a program-best with three players hitting at least four three-pointers as freshman Jontay Porter made five, while senior forward Jordan Barnett and graduate senior guard Kassius Roberston each made four. The last time this feat was accomplished was twice during the 2011-12 season when Marcus Denmon, Michael Dixon and Phil Pressey all sank four.
Barnett was a perfect 3-of-3 from the charity stripe, improving to 93 percent (40-of-43 FT) on the season.
Barnett continued his impressive stretch of play, scoring in double-figures for the ninth-straight game with 19 points

Kash Money

With 23 points against South Carolina (Jan. 3), graduate senior guard Kassius Robertson (Toronto, Ontario) became the first Tiger to score 20 points in three consecutive games since Jabari Brown did so during the 2013-14 season (20 at Ole Miss, Feb. 18; 25 vs. Arkansas, Feb. 13; 24 vs. Tennessee, Feb. 15).
Robertson's 20-point stretch began with a 23-point outing against Stephen F. Austin (Dec. 19), then he continued with 22 points against Illinois (Dec. 23) in the Braggin' Rights contest.
Robertson has connected on multiple three-pointers in four-straight games, and recorded his 74th career game with multiple three-pointers with four against the Gamecocks. He is currently shooting 41.2 percent (42-of-102) from deep, which would be the highest mark by a Tiger since Kim English shot 45.9 percent in 2011-12.
Robertson also netted 23 points vs. Wagner (Nov. 13), giving him four 20-point games on the season, the first Tiger to do so since Wes Clark had four in the entire 2015-16 season. Robertson achieved the feat in 14 games.

More Story Lines

Mizzou is shooting well and keeping its opponents from doing the same, ranking 46th nationally in field goal percentage (48.3) and 30th nationally in field goal percentage defense (39.4).
The Tigers are one of the nation's hottest perimeter shooting teams, ranking 37th nationally in three-pointers per game (9.8) and tied for No. 1 in the SEC with Florida.
Mizzou also ranks 40th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (39.4, 137-348).
Senior forward Jordan Barnett ranks ninth nationally in free throw percentage, hitting on 40-of-43 from the charity striple (93.0).
Barnett's three double-doubles thus far in 2017-18 rank tied for fifth-most in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia's Yante Maten and Vanderbilt's Jeff Roberson lead the league with six double-doubles each.
Mizzou's 78-69 win at South Carolina (Jan. 3) was the first road conference win for the program since Jan. 28, 2014, when the Tigers defeated Arkansas in Fayetteville, 75-71.
Junior forward Kevin Puryear ranks in the SEC's Top 10 for active career points (870, 8th) and rebounds (405, 10th).
Junior guard Terrence Phillips ranks in the SEC's Top 10 for active career assists (277, 3rd) and steals (86, 6th).
Mizzou has outrebounded its opponents in 12-of-14 games. The Tigers rank third in the SEC in rebounding margin (+8.6).
Junior guard Jordan Geist has hit 47.1 percent (16-of-34) of his three-pointers to start the 2017-18 season, an increase from his 28.6 percent success rate from the entire 2016-17 season.
Ball movement is on the up-tick for the Tigers this season, as Mizzou has averaged 15.8 assists per game -- an improvement over the 12.1 dimes averaged last season.
The Tigers are out to an 11-3 start -- the best start to a campaign for Mizzou since the 2013-14 season when the Black & Gold started 12-2 (wins were later vacated).
The Tigers have improved immensely as a blocking team, more than doubling last season's blocks per game average (2.1) with their current 5.3-blocks-per-game average.