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Mizzou basketball releases non-conference schedule

By Thomas Huitt-Johnson

COLUMBIA, MO - DECEMBER 19: Head coach Cuonzo Martin of the Missouri Tigers coaches from the bench during the game against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Mizzou Arena on December 19, 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MO - DECEMBER 19: Head coach Cuonzo Martin of the Missouri Tigers coaches from the bench during the game against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Mizzou Arena on December 19, 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Mizzou basketball will host Incarnate Word to open the season Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Mizzou men’s basketball released its non-conference schedule Tuesday, exactly three months before it hits the hardwood for the season opener.

The Tigers will battle Incarnate Word to open the year.

Home games on the schedule also include Northern Kentucky, Wofford, Morehead State, Charleston Southern, SIU and Chicago State.

Road games for Mizzou include Xavier, Temple, and West Virginia.

Earlier, the Big 12 and SEC announced that the Tigers and the Mountaineers will take place in the crossover challenge Saturday, Jan. 25. So Missouri’s non-conference schedule doesn’t end until after the SEC season starts.

Neutral contests this year will be in Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City against Butler on Monday, Nov. 25 and the winner of Oklahoma-Stanford the following day. The Tigers also will play in their annual Braggin Rights’ game in St. Louis against Illinois on Saturday, Dec. 21.

Here’s a look at the whole non-conference schedule:

It’s interesting that Mizzou will only play one game at Mizzou Arena in a three-and-a-half week span toward the end of November-early December, but the Tigers do play two games in Kansas City during that stretch.

Those games in K.C. could be really fun, and it’s possible Mizzou will see two Big 12 teams this year if the Tigers top the Bulldogs and the Sooners beat the Cardinal.

The schedule could set the Tigers up with a good start. Wofford is coming off a 30-win season, so that could be a sneaky tough one. But remember, the Tigers beat Xavier by 15 points last year while Temple escaped Mizzou by two.

Also, playing all road/neutral games against major contenders and schools will help the Tigers’ resume.

Mizzou brings back starters Jeremiah Tilmon, Mark Smith and Javon Pickett to pair with key reserves Torrence Watson and Xavier Pinson. Reed Nikko and Mitchell Smith also return for this year’s Mizzou squad.

Newcomers include Tray Jackson, Mario McKinney Jr. and Dru Smith. Kobe Brown, Brooks Ford, Parker Braun, Evan Yerkes and Axel Okongo fill out the roster.

The Tigers went 15-17 last season, and look to keep building on their young roster, which only has one senior on the team in Nikko.

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