Men's basketball escapes the winter weather

The Tigers will face Xavier and possibly Virginia Tech in Puerto Rico.

By Lee Zucker

Published Nov. 18, 2008

At 4 a.m. today, the Tigers were scheduled to depart from Mizzou Arena and began their journey to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the second O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament.

After a 2-0 start to the season, which extended their non-conference home winning streak to 29, the unranked Tigers look to bring that confidence over the Gulf of Mexico as the Big 12 representative in the tournament. Last night's game counted as an opening-round contest of the 2008 early season tournament, but has no bearing on the bracket, as Missouri will face Xavier on Thursday.

From last Saturday's season opener through the Puerto Rico tournament, Missouri will have played five games in eight days.

"We've got not choice, we've got to have all our energy," senior forward DeMarre Carroll said. "Like coach said, the young guys have to step up. We hope that they step up and that we'll be able to maintain our level and not take it down."

Half the teams in Puerto Rico are ranked or received top 25 votes. The Tiger's first round opponent, Xavier, was fourth in votes for teams just out of the top 25.

"There are a lot of good teams out there," senior forward Leo Lyons said. "It's going to be really competitive out there. You just have to go out there and be ready and hopefully come out with some wins."

Although Missouri will come in with an undefeated record and a semifinal experience from last year's early tournament, its tournament experience doesn't quite match up to Xavier's. The Musketeers have made the NCAA Tournament three consecutive years and have two appearances in the Elite Eight in the last four years.

"It'll be a lot different at a tournament knowing that we won't have our own base of fans," freshman guard Marcus Denmon said. "It'll be a good step for us to be successful and get this first win."

The rank in front of Xavier's name should not mean much heading into the first round of the tournament for Missouri. Last year Missouri kicked off its season with the CBE Classic Regional and made a trip to the semifinals and nearly upset No. 10 Michigan State. The Tigers ended the first half down 16, but ended the game losing by one, 84-83. Missouri beat Maryland 84-70 in the consolation round.

"It was a great opportunity last year," Carroll said. "This year we've got new guys. I'm more excited going into this tournament than last year's."

If Missouri reigns over Xavier they will match up against the winner of Fairfield vs. Virginia Tech, both unranked in the Top 25.

Beyond the warm climate and beautiful scenery that Lyons said he is looking forward to in Puerto Rico, this trip brings more to the Tigers than a hopeful championship.

"This is a great experience for us," Carroll said. "It's a great opportunity for us to play and to show everybody that we're trying to move forward to a new Mizzou team."