Drake enters the NCAA Tournament with a clear path to its first trip beyond the round of 64 in more than 50 years.The Bulldogs earned a No. 11 seed during Sunday's selection show and will take on No. 6 seed Missouri in the first round. The game is slated for 6:35 p.m. CT this Thursday in Wichita, Kansas.Here's what to know about Missouri.Missouri basketball: Record, stats and moreLocation: Columbia, MissouriRecord: 22-11Conference: SEC (10-8)NCAA Tournament history: The Tigers made a miraculous return to the national spotlight this season after going 0-18 in SEC play a year ago. Missouri is back in the Big Dance for the first time since 2023, when it won a first-round game as a No. 7 seed before falling in a major upset to No. 15 seed Princeton in the second round.Before that first-round win two years ago, Missouri hadn't won an NCAA Tournament game since the first round in 2010. Mizzou has only advanced beyond the first weekend once since 2002: an Elite Eight trip in 2009.This will be a dramatic style clash, as Drake plays the slowest pace in Division I, according to college basketball analytics resource KenPom, while Missouri is much faster. The Tigers have the fifth-most efficient offense in the country and are 55th in fastest average offensive possession length.Good news for Drake: Missouri has not played its best basketball as of late. The Tigers started 15-3 but have lost eight of their last 15 and four of the last five.Mizzou players to watch Missouri has three players averaging between 14.1 and 13.4 points per game.Mark Mitchell is the team's leading scorer and also checks in at second place in rebounds (4.6 per game). Mitchell missed Missouri's SEC Tournament game vs. Florida but is expected to be back for the NCAA Tournament, according to reports.Former Iowa State Cyclone Caleb Grill is second on the team at 13.7 points per game. He's among the nation's most dangerous shooters, making 2.8 threes per game at a 40.5% clip.Another player with in-state ties, former Hawkeye Tony Perkins, has started 27 games this year for the Tigers and is second in assists per game (2.6).Five different Missouri players have made 30 or more 3-pointers while shooting 33% or better from beyond the arc.» Subscribe to vlog's YouTube page» Download the free vlog app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
WICHITA, Kan. — Drake enters the NCAA Tournament with a clear path to its first trip beyond the round of 64 in more than 50 years.
The Bulldogs earned a No. 11 seed during Sunday's selection show and will take on No. 6 seed Missouri in the first round. The game is slated for 6:35 p.m. CT this Thursday in Wichita, Kansas.
Here's what to know about Missouri.
Missouri basketball: Record, stats and more
- Location: Columbia, Missouri
- Record: 22-11
- Conference: SEC (10-8)
NCAA Tournament history: The Tigers made a miraculous return to the national spotlight this season after going 0-18 in SEC play a year ago. Missouri is back in the Big Dance for the first time since 2023, when it won a first-round game as a No. 7 seed before falling in a major upset to No. 15 seed Princeton in the second round.
Before that first-round win two years ago, Missouri hadn't won an NCAA Tournament game since the first round in 2010. Mizzou has only advanced beyond the first weekend once since 2002: an Elite Eight trip in 2009.
This will be a dramatic style clash, as Drake plays the slowest pace in Division I, according to , while Missouri is much faster. The Tigers have the fifth-most efficient offense in the country and are 55th in fastest average offensive possession length.
Good news for Drake: Missouri has not played its best basketball as of late. The Tigers started 15-3 but have lost eight of their last 15 and four of the last five.
Mizzou players to watch
Missouri has three players averaging between 14.1 and 13.4 points per game.
Mark Mitchell is the team's leading scorer and also checks in at second place in rebounds (4.6 per game). Mitchell missed Missouri's SEC Tournament game vs. Florida but is expected to be back for the NCAA Tournament, .
Former Iowa State Cyclone Caleb Grill is second on the team at 13.7 points per game. He's among the nation's most dangerous shooters, making 2.8 threes per game at a 40.5% clip.
Another player with in-state ties, former Hawkeye Tony Perkins, has started 27 games this year for the Tigers and is second in assists per game (2.6).
Icon Sportswire
IOWA CITY, IA - DECEMBER 08: Iowa guard Tony Perkins (11) handles the ball as Iowa State guard Caleb Grill (2) looks on during a college basketball game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Iowa Hawkeyes on December 08, 2022, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA.
Five different Missouri players have made 30 or more 3-pointers while shooting 33% or better from beyond the arc.
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