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Missouri Basketball returns to NCAA Tournament play for the third consecutive season as the #11-seeded Tigers battle the Cincinnati Bearcats for the first time in series history

Missouri and Cincy meet at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., marking Missouri's first trip to our nation's capital since a 63-51 loss at Georgetown on Feb. 20, 1982.

Mizzou is making its 24th trip to the NCAA Tournament overall they are 22-23 all-time in the Big Dance and have won five consecutive opening-round games dating back to an 84-70 loss to 8th-seeded North Carolina in 2000

Missouri is headed to the West Region for the eighth time in school history

The Tigers last went West in 2009 and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight

Actually each of Mizzou's last two trips into the West Region finished with Elite Eight runs, including a surge as the #12 seed before falling to #2 Oklahoma in San Jose, Calif.

Missouri is also facing its fourth Big EAST team in NCAA play the last few seasons

Mizzou defeated #6 Marquette in 2009 and fell to #1 UConn in the Elite Eight and dropped a 68-59 decision to #2 West Virginia last year in Buffalo.
Thursday's game marks a homecoming trip of sorts for a pair of Tigers

Junior Kim English is from nearby Baltimore, Md., while Ricardo Ratliffe is from Hampton, Va.

For more information go to www.mutigers.com