MBB Heads to Charleston Classic, Opens with Missouri State

Nov. 21, 2019 | 11:30 a.m. | ESPNU
TD Arena | Charleston, S.C.

Miami (3-1, 0-1 ACC) vs. Missouri State (2-2, 0-0 MVC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule | Stats | Media Guide | Miami Game Notes | Opponent Game Notes

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team is set to compete in the Charleston Classic for the third time.

The only program to win the tournament twice, Miami (3-1, 0-1) will play three games in four days at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C. The Hurricanes claimed the crown in both 2009 and 2014, the latter under now-ninth-year head coach Jim Larrañaga.

Miami begins play Thursday at 11:30 a.m. against Missouri State, with Richard Cross and Dameyon Fishback on the call for ESPNU. The action can also be seen online HERE, while Joe Zagacki will have the radio broadcast on 560 The Joe WQAM HERE. Live stats for the entire tournament will be available HERE.

The Hurricanes have played Missouri State just once before, earning an 81-72 home win in NIT play on March 21, 2011.

Missouri State enters the game at 2-2 on the season and is led in scoring by senior guard Keandre Cook, who is averaging 17.8 points per game. Following a 16-16 (10-8 MVC) campaign last year, the Bears were picked first in the 2019-20 Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, garnering 39 of the 43 first-place votes.

Miami will play either Florida or St. Joseph’s Friday in its second game of the event. If Miami is in the winner’s bracket, it would play at noon, while a consolation bracket matchup would be at 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m., with action set for ESPN2 or ESPNU either way.

The Hurricanes will not play Saturday and then wrap up competition Sunday against Buffalo, UConn, Towson or No. 18/21 Xavier. The game could be at five different times and four different television networks, with that information to come Saturday.
Additional information on the Charleston Classic, including the tournament bracket and ticket links, can be found HERE.

Miami heads into the event after a dominant 80-52 victory over Quinnipiac Saturday at the Watsco Center in which it went 11-of-15 from 3-point range in the second half. That set a program record for 3-point makes in a half against a Division I foe in the ACC era (2004-present).

Redshirt junior guard Kameron McGusty paced all scorers with a career-high-tying 22 points, while senior guard Dejan Vasiljevic notched his second collegiate double-double with 13 points and a career-high-tying 10 rebounds. Junior guard Chris Lykes scored 12 points and freshman guard Harlond Beverly added 10.

Following its three outings in Charleston, the Hurricanes will have a road contest against Illinois in Champaign, Ill., Dec. 2 at 9 p.m. in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

To keep up with the University of Miami men’s basketball team on social media, follow @CanesHoops on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

The 2019-20 Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball season is presented by First National Bank.