GAME THREAD: Missouri hosts Northern Kentucky

Live updates

Final: Missouri 71, Northern Kentucky 56

The Tigers improve to 2-0 on the season and will hit the road to play Xavier on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

11:37 2H: Missouri came out of the break on a 19-10 run, and the Tigers now lead 55-39. Mark Smith, Jeremiah Tilmon and Mitchell Smith all in double figures in points.

Halftime: Missouri 36, NKU 29

Mitchell Smith drained a 3 to end the half, and the Tigers head to the locker room with a seven-point lead. Mark Smith leads all scorers with 15, also has two boards and an assist.

3:24 1H: Missouri not able to build much of a lead on Northern Kentucky yet. Largest lead so far has been seven. But Mark Smith seems to have shed the rust he had in the first game. He has 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting — 3 of 4 from deep — to go with two rebounds.

6:55 1H: Cuonzo Martin called a timeout with the score tied 14-14 at the 9:41 mark. Since then, Missouri is on a 9-2 run.

11:39 1H: Missouri leads Northern Kentucky 12-7. Shots have started falling a bit more here, but a couple of bad turnovers so far have stymied any momentum.

15:40 1H: Missouri’s lead is just three at the first TV timeout, but Mark Smith has eight of the team’s 10 points. Two-for-two from the 3. Went scoreless Wednesday but could be the start of a pretty big game for the junior guard.

Pregame

Missouri men’s basketball is set to welcome Northern Kentucky tonight, which should be tougher test than the one it faced Wednesday in Incarnate Word. The Norse were an NCAA Tournament team as a 14-seed last year, falling to eventual national championship runner-up Texas Tech by 15.

Northern Kentucky is a group led largely by upperclassmen, so don’t expect the Norse to just roll over for the Tigers.

Hoops Preview: Northern Kentucky won’t be intimidated

The Details

Opponent: Northern Kentucky Norse (1-0)

Time: 7:00 p.m. CT

Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia MO

Is Mizzou Receiving Top 25 Votes? Still no new poll out since Wednesday, but if Missouri can pick up an impressive win tonight, there could be some movement on that front.

What Does Vegas Say? Mizzou, -13.5

Where To Watch: SEC Network + | WatchESPN

Radio: Tiger Radio Network // Sirius/XM -119/199

Twitter: @MizzouHoops

Facebook: Mizzou Men’s Basketball

• If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now! (** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)

Five Questions!

1. Who finishes with more assists: Dru Smith or Xavier Pinson?
2. Over or under 1.5 highlight-reel dunks for Mario McKinney Jr.?
3. Does Missouri improve on its 23% 3-point shooting against Incarnate World?
4. Who is your trifecta for the game?
5. What will the final score be?