CINCINNATI -- Xavier coach Chris Mack saw quite a bit of growth from his team in just two days between a narrow season-opening win over Lehigh to a more decisive 33-point victory over Buffalo on Monday.Its November 14, so we have a lot of room for growth, Mack said. It was by far the best (performance) for our newcomers, which is a really good sign.On Thursday, the 11th-ranked Musketeers begin play in the Tire Pros Invitational at HP Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla., the site of one of last seasons signature moments when they captured the Advocare Invitational with victories over Alabama, USC and Dayton.Xavier (2-0) will face the Missouri Tigers (1-0), a team they have beaten three straight times. The Musketeers topped Mizzou 78-66 last year at Cintas Center in Cincinnati.We havent really talked about the competition were going to face in Orlando, Xavier senior forward Rashid Gaston said. Were going to play some pretty good teams.Joining the Musketeers and Tigers in Orlando are Oklahoma, Tulane, Northern Iowa, Arizona State, Clemson and Davidson.Like Xavier, Missouri showed significant improvement in recent days.After a seven-point win over Central Missouri in an exhibition game, the Tigers were impressive in routing Alabama A&M 99-44 Sunday in their home opener.We werent very good eight days ago (against Central Missouri), Tigers coach Kim Anderson told the Kansas City Star. and we knew we werent very good.Frankie Hughes scored 23 points against Alabama A&M, tying a school record for points scored in a freshman debut. Missouri is a young team, with three sophomores and two freshmen among the starters.The Tigers will look to extend Xaviers perimeter defense on Thursday. After shooting 31 percent from 3-point range last season, Mizzou drained 8 of 16 attempts from beyond the arc on Sunday.We need outside shooting, because that was a struggle for us last year, obviously, Anderson said.Defense is where Xavier is looking to make its biggest strides. After allowing 81 points to Lehigh, the Musketeers held Buffalo to just 53 on Monday, limiting the Bulls to 31 percent shooting and forcing 21 turnovers.Some of the things we emphasized (in practice) -- taking care of the ball, playing a little bit longer into the shot clock, defensive intensity, crowding the floor a little bit more, I think we took a step forward, Mack said.The Musketeers continue to deal with depth issues. Senior guard Myles Davis is still suspended due to an incident involving his ex-girlfriends property, and sophomore forward Kaiser Gates is working his way back from a knee injury. On Monday, Xavier had four players in double figures, led by Trevon Bluiett with 18 points.Xavier and Missouri have only played six times previously, but there is plenty of history between the two programs.One of the most significant victories in Xaviers program history came against the Tigers in the first round of the 1987 NCAA Tournament. The 70-69 upset win was the first-ever NCAA Tournament victory for the Musketeers. Byron Larkin, now the color analyst on Xaviers radio broadcasts, scored 29 points in that game to lead all scorers.Missouri hasnt beaten the Musketeers since 2001, a 72-60 victory in the Wooden Tradition Classic in Indianapolis. Cheap Custom Warriors Jersey . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Custom Warriors T-shirts . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. http://www.customwarriorsjersey.com/custom-tim-hardaway-jersey-large-78y.html . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Custom Warriors Jersey China . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Cheap Warriors Jerseys . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Jay Cutler described the Bears injury epidemic as crazy.It got worse Sunday.Chicago lost 22-16 to the New York Giants, falling to 2-8 in what has become a war of attrition as player after player heads to the sideline. The biggest concern centered on rookie linebacker Leonard Floyd, removed on a stretcher in the fourth quarter with a neck injury.Floyd, the Bears first round draft pick from Georgia, gave a thumbs-up to teammates surrounding him as he left the field.He was taken to a hospital for evaluation and then released. The Bears said he returned to Chicago on Sunday night.Some of his movement looked good or encouraging, but hes going through the necessary tests, Bears coach John Fox said after the loss. It appeared it was on a tackle. Im sure they are evaluating him for a concussion as well. Anytime they bring the cart out and the board out, they have some neck concerns. He seemed to have pretty good movement skills at that point.It was an emotional blow for his teammates on the field.It hit us mentally and physically because he is one of our young bucks, linebacker Pernell McPhee said. Thats one of our playmakers, thats one of the guys we depend on. He is a great guy, so hopefully, its nothing serious. All prayers go out to him and I hope he can be back soon.Floyd was only one name on the lengthy list of Bears injured in the latest loss.Cutler lost one of his key weapons when tight end Zack Miller suffered a possibly broken right foot, his second major injury of the season. Defensive back CreVon LeBlanc is in the concussion protocol and left guard Josh Sitton injured his right ankle.Coming into the game, the Bears were missing right tackle Bobbie Massie (concussion), nose tackle Eddie Goldman (ankle) and defensive end Mitch Unnrein (back).dddddddddddd Chicago receiver Alshon Jeffery served the first game of a four-game suspension for violating the NFLs policy on performance-enhancing substances. Bears also were missing guard Kyle Long, who was placed on injured reserve last week with ankle and shoulder injuries.Very disappointing, Fox said of the defeat. We did have some injuries. We had some guys step in and did OK. Just not quite well enoughInjuries are a part of the game and every team adopts the next-man-up philosophy. Sometimes the sheer volume of sidelined players becomes overwhelming.Its up there, Fox said when asked to rank this level of attrition in his coaching experience. Ive doing this for a bit, so its hard to remember 27 years ago but its up in the top five, for sure.The injury run leaves Cutler directing a patchwork offense constantly in flux as the injuries pile up.Its hard, the quarterback said. Injuries are part of the game and its a situation where we have to replace them with somebody but its starting to add up.Veteran cornerback Tracy Porter said all the injuries have made it hard for the team to develop and keep its chemistry.Injuries can devastate a team, but we are a team that believes in a next man up mentality, Porter said. We want the guys who were playing to come back as soon as possible, but the health of those guys is much more important than this game. We want those guys to come back, but like Ive said, we have belief in the guys that come in. If you lose more guys, youre thinning out and on the depth chart, you dont have guys to spare.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL . ' ' '
