The Mizzou Tigers finished last season without one win in conference play. 18 games against SEC opponents went by without a single victory. What a difference a year can make!
The Tigers are one of the biggest surprises of the college basketball season as Dennis Gates' team is sporting a 17-4 record with a 6-2 mark in SEC play. The most recent victory came over the weekend when the Tigers knocked off 13th ranked Mississippi State on the road, 88-61.
Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates calls for a timeout as Auburn Tigers take on Missouri Tigers at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Auburn Tigers lead Missouri Tigers 45-33 at halftime.
The 27-point margin of victory more than doubles the previous best total for Mizzou on the road against a ranked team with the previous high coming in 1956.
Statistically, the Tigers have found plenty of success especially on the offensive end. As a team, they are 5th in the SEC in scoring, averaging 83.2 points per game. The Alabama Crimson Tide lead the SEC in scoring at 90.2 points per game, with Kentucky, Auburn and Florida all ahead of Mizzou.
The three players leading the way for the Tigers are senior Tamar Bates at 13.5 points per game, graduate student Caleb Grill at 13.2 ppg and junior Mark Mitchell at 12.8 ppg.
Mizzou is 4th in the conference in both field goal percentage at 48.2% and 3-point field goal percentage at 37.3%. Grill is No. 1 in the confernce currently, shooting an astonoshing 49% from 3-point territory having hit 49 of his 100 3-point field goal attempts.
Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Nov 25, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Caleb Grill (31) shoots during the second half against the Loyola (Md) Greyhounds at Mizzou Arena.
Defensively, the Tigers lead the SEC in steals at 10.1 per game. Sophomore Anthony Robinson II leads the way with 1.9 per game followed by Tamar Bates (1.6) and Caleb Grill (1.4).
The Tigers will next play on Wednesday night in Knoxville against Tennessee who is 12-1 at home on the season. Mizzou will next play at Mizzou Arena on Saturday Feb 8 when they host Texas A&M.