Mizzou Basketball makes its first trip to Columbia, S.C., this week as the Tigers meet Frank Martin’s South Carolina Gamecocks for the second time in series history on Thursday. The Tigers won 71-65 victory on Jan. 22, rallying back from 13 down in the second half to earn the win. Keion Bell and Laurence Bowers did not see action for Missouri in that first contest vs. South Carolina due to injury.
Bell has been outstanding over his last 11 games played and is leading the Tigers in scoring (15.8) during that stretch. Despite missing games against the Gamecocks and at LSU, Bell is eighth in the league in scoring in SEC play (14.5) and is shooting 58 percent from the floor and 87.0 percent from the foul line during that 11-game stretch.
AUDIO Frank Haith’s press conference preview USC (12:00)
Can the Tigers win on the road? While Missouri is a perfect 15-0 at Mizzou Arena this season, including back-to-back wins over Top 25 opponents, Missouri has lost four of its last five road games by single digits.
Missouri had a pair of double-doubles in its overtime loss (90-83) at Kentucky, getting 27 points, 10 assists and four steals from Phil Pressey and 16 points and 15 rebounds from Alex Oriakhi. The effort by Pressey was the first 20-point, 10-assist game at Missouri since Melvin Booker scored 23 points and dished 13 dimes vs. Illinois in a triple overtime win in 1993.
Pressey is the lone Tiger ever to play a complete season for Frank Haith and if you break down the numbers Missouri is getting 83.7 percent of its scoring and 92.3 percent of its rebounding from players that did not see action for the club last season.
