Missouri thought it had the towering twins. Alabama knew it had Roy Rogers.
Alabama was the winner - no-contest."(Rogers) was dominating," Missouri coach Norm Stewart said. "He intimidated our guys, which is kind of interesting because we see a lot of big people. As far as shot-blocking, he's the best."
Alabama's 6-foot-10 center had 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocked shots Monday night to lead the Crimson Tide past Missouri 72-49 and into the third round of the National Invitation Tournament.
A senior who broke Shaquille O'Neal's Southeastern Conference single-game record with 14 blocks earlier this season, Rogers had a hand close to just about every one of Missouri's inside shots.
The victory sends Alabama to South Carolina on Wednesday. The Gamecocks advanced to the third round with an 80-70 win over visiting Vanderbilt.
The Crimson Tide lost its only game against South Carolina this season, 90-67 in Columbia.
The second round will be completed tonight, beginning with a doubleheader at the Providence City Center, where St. Joseph's takes on Providence and College of Charleston plays Rhode Island. Other games have Washington State at Nebraska and Michigan State at Fresno State.
Third-round winners grab semifinal spots at New York's Madison Square Garden next week.
South Carolina 80, Vanderbilt 70
Malik Russell's 17 points and eight rebounds paced South Carolina to its latest victory.
Tulane 84, Minnesota 65
Guard Chris Cameron, who averages nine points, scored nine of his 20 points in a 22-6 rally to start the game as Tulane jumped on top early and cruised to an easy victory at Minnesota.
Illinois St. 77, Wisconsin 62
Maurice Trotter scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half as visiting Illinois State overcame a career-high 28-point performance by Sam Okey of Wisconsin.