Charleston Southern @ Missouri preview

Missouri looks to snap a two-game losing streak when it hosts non-conference foe Charleston Southern on Tuesday night. The Tigers dropped two games at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City last week, falling to Butler and Oklahoma, while the Buccaneers are coming off a win over Delaware State over a week ago.

Sophomore guard Dontrell Shuler has been the offensive bright spot for Charleston Southern, averaging 18.8 points and dishing out 3.8 assists per game, both team-high averages. Junior guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr. hasn't let his 6-4 frame limit him this season, as he's averaging a team-best 7.3 rebounds to go with his 9.9 points per game. Coach Cuonzo Martin hasn't been doing a lot of scoring this season, averaging 67.7 points as a team, led by junior guard Mark Smith's 12.9 points per game. Junior guard Dru Smith is contributing 12.3 points and a team-high 4.7 assists, while junior forward Jeremiah Tilmon is the team's third double-figure scorer with 10.1 points per game on 65.9 percent shooting from the floor.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, No TV.

ABOUT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (2-5): Defense has been a problem for Barclay Radebaugh's squad this season, as the Buccaneers are allowing 78.6 points per game, worst in the Big South. It doesn't help when you play Top 25 teams like Michigan State and Dayton on the road, but Charleston Southern also allowed Furman to score 91 points in a loss in early November. Unfortunately, during the non-conference season, the starting lineup of three guards that stand 6-1, 6-2 and 6-4 isn't going to be much help against bigger lineups from the power conferences.

ABOUT MISSOURI (4-3): This season, it could be the Tigers go as Tilmon goes, though in recent games, that's been inconsistently, as Tilmon has had stretches of almost no production. Tilmon had just two rebounds, two turnovers and no points in just 17 minutes of action in the loss to Butler, then followed that up with two points and no rebounds in the first half against Oklahoma, which raced out to a 12-point lead at the break. Tilmon came back in the second half against the Sooners and had 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting and five rebounds, helping the Tigers pull within one midway through the second half before eventually falling by 11, showing how good Missouri can be when he's playing well.

TIP-INS

1. Charleston Southern freshman G Travis Anderson hit a career-high four 3-pointers in the win over Delaware State.

2. In four home games this season, Missouri has outscored opponents by an average of 23 points, winning each contest by at least 15 points.

3. Tigers G Torrence Watson had a season-high 11 points off the bench in the loss to Oklahoma, hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

PREDICTION: Missouri 85, Charleston Southern 68