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After taking care of business in their first two games of the year at the Cintas Center, the Xavier Musketeers hit the road and head to Orlando for the Tire Pros Invitational for a Thursday matinee.
Their opening round foe? A familiar one: The Missouri Tigers. Xavier won both ends of a home-and-home against the Tigers in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
Another fun wrinkle? Originally scheduled to be held in Puerto Rico, this tournament was moved to Orlando due to Zika concerns. You may remember Xavier decimating the field last time they played in a tournament in Orlando.
How to watch, listen, or stream
Game Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU (Alvaro Martin, Cory Alexander)
Radio: WLW 700
Stream: WatchESPN (Where available)
Gamblin’ Info
Xavier is a 14-point favorite, per OddsShark.com.
The Musketeers and Tigers are both 1-0 ATS this season.
All-Time Series
The Musketeers lead Missouri 4-2 in the all-time series. Additionally, Xavier is 18-5 against the SEC since 2008.
Three-Point Preview
Three-Headed Monster
Edmond Sumner, Trevon Bluiett, and JP Macura have accounted for 62% of Xavier’s points through two games. If that keeps up, it’s going to be awfully hard for Missouri, or any other team in the Tire Pros Invitational, to slow the Musketeers down.
Tyrique of Awesomeness
Freshman Tyrique Jones had a game-high 11 rebounds in Xavier’s win over Buffalo on Monday night. For an Xavier team looking to make up for the rebounding gap left by the departures of Jalen Reynolds and James Farr. If Jones is able to continue his success on the glass, the Musketeers will make the gap up in no time.
Mizzou is Bad, Avoid the Trap
Pretty self-explanatory. The Tigers have won 19 games in the past two seasons and Xavier has beaten them pretty effortlessly the past two contests. Avoid injuries, avoid silly mistakes, and come back ready to play the winner of Clemson/Davidson on Friday afternoon.
Additional Reading
If you’d like more information about the Missouri Tigers, Rock M Nation’s Sam Snelling did a Q&A with us!