When Jeremiah Tilmon picks up a foul, he prefers to laugh at himself. But on Tuesday, the joke was on Xavier.
First-year coach Travis Steele decided to leave Tilmon undoubled in the post and the 6-foot-10 sophomore made him pay, scoring a career-high 23 points with 10 rebounds in a 71-56 blowout victory.
Mark Smith and Jordan Geist each added 13 points in Missouri’s fourth-straight win.
Missouri struggled early to score against Xavier’s 2-3 zone, trailing 9-3 in the opening minutes. The Tigers responded with their best half of the season, countering with a 17-0 run for a double-digit lead.