Missouri heads into its exhibition against UNLV with one name looming larger than the rest: Sebastian Mack.
The former Tiger is now in Las Vegas, and his scoring trend has already become the Rebels’ clearest offensive storyline. Through two exhibition games, Mack has led UNLV in points in both losses, piling up 25 against Utah and 26 against BYU while shooting 20-for-42 from the field. No other Rebel is close to matching that production; sophomore Cam Miles is next on the team with 31 total points.
That makes tonight’s 9 p.m. tip at Thomas & Mack Center a little more than a tune-up for Missouri. If Mack keeps taking the kind of volume he has so far, UNLV will keep leaning on him to try to grab its first exhibition win.
Missouri, meanwhile, has already shown a more balanced look in its lone preseason game. The Tigers beat Kansas State 71-67 behind a starting five of Jason Crowe Jr., Kennard David Jr., Mark Mitchell, Toni Bryant and Bryson Tiller. Crowe drove the offense with 21 points, five assists and three steals on 7-for-18 shooting, while Tiller gave Missouri a major defensive lift with 33 minutes, nine rebounds and five blocks.
The Tigers’ young core has been central to the early picture. Crowe is running the offense, and both Tiller and Bryant are expected to be major factors on each end. Mark Mitchell and Trent Pierce, two veteran returning starters, also logged double-digit minutes in the Kansas State win, and Pierce finished with 10 points.
Mitchell, who is expected to lead Missouri in scoring this season, did not start in that game after an offseason filled with eligibility battles. He played more than 15 minutes and was held scoreless. CJ Gunn, who is also dealing with a legal saga tied to his eligibility for the coming season, did not play.
UNLV is still searching after back-to-back exhibition losses at home. The Rebels fell to Utah and then lost to BYU 89-77, despite Mack’s 26-point night. Miles and Jeremy Foumena also scored in double figures, but 18 turnovers buried UNLV.
Missouri and UNLV have not played since Feb. 9, 2005, when the Rebels beat the Tigers 74-71 in the same building where they meet again tonight.
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The matchup offers Missouri a useful SEC measuring stick because Arkansas has already shown it can make life uncomfortable for opponents, and the Tigers need this to look sharper on offense than they did in their last outing. There is also a betting angle attached to the game, but for Missouri the bigger issue is more basic: whether the bye week gave its passing attack enough time to find some rhythm before the conference schedule tightens again. [Read more 🡒]
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Mizzous Exhibition Loss Exposed A Problem The Tigers Must Fix Fast
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UNLVs edge in toughness showed up in the places that often decide close games, especially on offensive rebounds and loose possessions. Individual efforts from Jason Crowe and Bryson Tiller offered both encouragement and a reminder of how much room this team still has to grow, with mixed results across the board. For Missouri, the exhibition did exactly what these games are supposed to do, but it also made clear that the Tigers need a quicker fix in the rebounding and ball-handling departments before the real schedule starts to demand answers. [Read more 🡒]