Mizzou’s leading scorer is back in the starting lineup.
Missouri basketball forward Mark Mitchell was named in the 6-seeded Tigers’ starting lineup to face 11-seed Drake in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at INTRUST Bank Arena. Mitchell had missed Mizzou’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal loss against Florida due to a right knee injury.
On Wednesday during MU’s open practice period in Wichita, Mitchell was wearing a brace on his right knee but did not appear to be limited during practice.
Multiple reports have emerged in the past week that Mitchell would play in March Madness, and with Thursday’s starting lineup announcement, that is confirmed.
Mitchell, a Kansas City, Kansas, native, is Missouri’s leading scorer this season with 14.1 points per game. He had a season-high 31 points in a Feb. 19 win over Alabama and has been the Tigers’ primary inside threat on offense this year. He is a 51.2% shooter from the field.
At 6-foot-9, Mitchell is also potentially a pivotal piece for the Tigers (22-11) in their March Madness opener against Drake (30-3), which does not have a player taller than 6-8.
Mitchell left the court in the first half of Mizzou’s game against Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC Tournament last Thursday. He did return to the court to start the second half, and a team spokesperson told the Tribune that he had been ruled out for the remainder of the game with a right knee injury.
Without Mitchell, the Tigers bowed out of the conference tournament with a 95-81 loss to Florida in Nashville, Tennessee. Before the injury, the Duke transfer had started all 32 of MU’s games this season.
The MU star is back for March Madness. Mizzou tips off against Drake at 6:35 p.m. Thursday, when the game will air on TruTV.
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