University of Connecticut center Alex Oriakhi will use his final year of eligibility playing for the Missouri Tigers, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.

UConn transfer Alex Oriakhi just told CBSSports he is headed to Missouri. Story coming soon.—
Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) April 13, 2012

According to Goodman, Oriakhi was mainly concerned with playing time and co-existing with a solid point guard.

“They don’t have a big man and I can play with a pass-first point guard,” Oriakhi told Goodman. “It felt too good to be true.”

Oriakhi also considered Kentucky, but chose Missouri over the defending national champions before even visiting Lexington.

In his junior season at UConn, Oriakhi averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds a game.

UConn Huskies power forward Alex Oriakhi is headed elsewhere for his senior season — the only question is where. Jeff Goodman of CBS has offered up a couple of answers — Oriakhi is reportedly visiting with Kentucky and Xavier to discuss a possible transfer before next season.

Alex Oriakhi met with John Calipari last night. The UConn transfer will meet with Xavier's @coachchrismack today.

—
Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) April 06, 2012

Oriakhi averaged 6.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for UConn last season, somewhat of a down year for him, and he’s looking to restore his reputation as a serious threat to go high in the 2013 NBA draft. He’s also been connected to North Carolina, Duke, Missouri, Washington and Gonzaga in various rumors this week.

Oriakhi is leaving UConn at the right time — coach Jim Calhoun has an uncertain future, star players Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond may well be leaving this spring for the NBA, and the Huskies are ineligible for the 2013 NCAA Tournament.