Missouri will go for its sixth win in a row when it tips off against Lindenwood on Wednesday in Columbia, Mo.
The Tigers (5-1) are coming off a 112-63 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday. It marked the third straight game that Missouri won by 35-plus points, and it was also the fourth time in the past five games that Missouri won by 15 or more.
A daunting test against No. 1 Kansas awaits three games from now, but first the Tigers will look to fine-tune their performance against Lindenwood (2-4), an in-state foe whose campus is outside of St. Louis in St. Charles, Mo.
Missouri guard Caleb Grill is eager to stay hot after scoring 14 points off the bench on Sunday. He went 5-for-9 from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point range.
Grill leads the team with 15.5 points per game. He is shooting 58.8 percent overall and 55.3 percent from beyond the arc.
“I think his teammates are finding him, but he’s not even focused on that,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said of Grill. “He’s focused on the defensive end. When you have a guy who hunts for basketballs the way he does, whether it’s a loose ball or rebound … that means his heart is in the right place.”
Three other Missouri players have scoring averages in double figures — Tamar Bates (13.0 points per game), Mark Mitchell (12.3) and Anthony Robinson II (10.3).
Lindenwood is led by Jadis Jones, who is averaging 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds. Teammate Anias Futrell is not far behind with 12.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, and Markeith Browning II is also scoring in double digits with 11.7 ppg.
Jones was named Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. He set a career high with 17 points and also grabbed nine rebounds in his most recent game, a 77-64 loss against Valparaiso.
“His character and mentality for the game of basketball align with everything we are trying to build at Lindenwood,” Lions coach Kyle Gerdeman said of Jones this past spring. “I think the belief he has shown in our program speaks volumes for the direction we are heading.”
This is the second all-time meeting between the schools. Their first game was two seasons ago, when Missouri won 82-53 at home.
