| Game 8: Charleston Southern (2-5) at Missouri (4-3) |
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Charleston Southern men's basketball opens their December slate Tuesday night at Missouri on the heels of a nine-day layoff over the Thanksgiving holiday and win over Delaware State in the Maui on the Mainland finale.
Defense down the stretch made the difference for CSU in their comeback victory as they held the Hornets to just 4-of-20 from the floor over the final 10:53 of the contest on their way to a 27-11 margin that flipped a seven point deficit into a 10-point win.
The Bucs take on Missouri from the SEC for the first time in program history having played seven current members all-time with wins over South Carolina and Ole Miss.
After playing four games in a span of nine days, the Bucs have just four contests in December before another Holiday break with three coming on the road.
For Openers
- Charleston Southern wraps their long road trip Tuesday night at Missouri after taking on National powers Dayton and Michigan State in 48 hours then a weekend in Johnson City, Tenn. against Southern Utah and Delaware State.
- CSU's fresh off a nine-day layoff and a win over the Hornets 71-61 to close their stay at the Maui on the Mainland Invitational while Missouri enters with a week of rest after the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic having gone 2-2 in the tournament.
- Tuesday marks the first meeting in program history between the Bucs and Tigers and Missouri is the ninth current SEC member Charleston Southern will face. CSU has wins over Ole Miss (2014-15) and South Carolina (1996-97) and seek another signature win as conference play gets closer.
- Dontrell Shuler has been a scoring machine for the Bucs tallying double digits in every contest including two 20-point efforts while Preseason Big South All-Conference First Team member Phlandrous Fleming Jr. has been crashing the boards turning in a pair of double-doubles, both coming on the road.
- Tuesday's matchup concludes a long road trip for the Bucs that has lasted nearly a month. CSU last played in front of a home crowd Nov. 12 and have just one December home matchup before the Holiday Break.
Scouting The Tigers
- Missouri finished 5-13 in the SEC last season and was slated 13th in the preseason poll at SEC Media Days, but the Tigers have size and athleticism.
- Missouri boasts seven players taller than 6'7 on the roster and are led offensively by Dru Smith and Mark Smith who averaged 12.8 and 12.0 points per contest.
- The Tigers enter Tuesday's contest 4-3 after a 2-2 showing in the Hall of Fame Classic from Kansas City. Butler grabbed an 18-point first half lead and held on down the stretch to defeat the Tigers before...
- The Tigers are sixth in the SEC in steals per contest with 7.3 but have struggled to score at times averaging 68.0 points a contest. In their three losses, Missouri is averaging just 58.7 points a contest including a 63-58 OT loss at Xavier. In their four wins, the Tigers are averaging nearly 20-more points at 74.5 a contest.
A Win on Tuesday Would…
- Be the first over a Power 5 or SEC team since Nov. 14, 2014 when the Bucs defeated Ole Miss 66-65 in Oxford, Miss.
- Be the third win versus and SEC foe all-time
- Give the Bucs a 1-0 record to begin a second-straight month
- Be the first true road win of the season after defeating Delaware State in a neutral site bout
- Give the Bucs a win over a top-40 program in the KenPom rankings.
