BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — "The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball" are headed for warp speed when Missouri meets Clemson in Friday's first round of the NCAA tournament.
Seventh-seeded Clemson (21-10) is making its third straight appearance and looking to give coach Oliver Purnell his breakthrough triumph — he's winless in five trips with three schools.
Missouri (22-10), the 10th seed, has won four straight opening-round games.
Both teams play a pressing style and enter the game hoping to right what has gone wrong recently. Missouri was stunned 75-60 by 12th-seeded Nebraska in the Big 12 tournament, while Clemson lost by a basket to 11th-seeded North Carolina State in the ACC tournament.
Missouri averages nearly 11 steals a game, tops in the country, and forces 19.7 turnovers each time out. Clemson isn't far behind with an average of 17.5 turnovers and 9.6 steals.
