28 Years Later

The terrific thing about the early college basketball season is that it involves matchups between prestigious squads that rarely play each other. For instance, the University of Missouri plays Georgetown today for just the second time in the John McLendon Classic at Sprint Center (1407 Grand). The other time Missouri and Georgetown met was in 1982, when eventual Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing and Eric “Sleepy” Floyd led Georgetown to a victory against Norm Stewart’s Big 8 Champion squad. This season, both teams sport promising, experienced teams that are expected to play in the NCAA Tournament in March. Georgetown coach John Thompson III returns with four starters from a 23-win team, including leading scorer Austin Freeman. Missouri’s three leading scorers return from last year’s NCAA tournament squad, including junior guards Kim English and Marcus Denmon, as well as junior forward Laurence Bowers. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $25-$125. See sprintcenter.com.

— Chris Rasmussen

Tue., Nov. 30, 8 p.m., 2010