Despite losing their last three games, the Mizzou Tigers were able to avoid a First Four game in Dayton, and will instead open the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament just two hours away in St Louis.

The Tigers learned Sunday, Mar. 15 that they would be the tenth seed in the West Region and will open tournament play Friday night at the Enterprise Center against the Miami Hurricanes. Tip-off is currently scheduled for 9:10 p.m., the final game of the night. The Tigers were able to avoid the play-in game with a conference-opening win over defending national champions Florida, who will be the one seed in the south. Mizzou has struggled in the past two weeks, first with a loss to an Oklahoma team that didn’t make the tournament, then dropping an overtime game at home to Arkansas, who won the SEC Tournament on Sunday. The Tigers were one-and-done in Nashville at the SEC Tournament when they fell to Kentucky.

While Mizzou will play in St Louis, the hometown Billikens picked up the nine seed in the Midwest Region and will start play Thursday against Georgia in Buffalo.

Meanwhile, the Mizzou women have accepted a bid to the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament. The Tigers are seeded fourth in their region despite wrapping up the regular season with a 16-16 record, including a first-round exit from the SEC Tournament earlier this month. Because of the high school state basketball tournament, the Tigers will have to travel east to Seton Hall. Tipoff against the Pirates is at 6 p.m. Thursday, with the winner facing either BYU or Alabama A&M.