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Updated: February 19, 2026 @ 1:21 am
Mizzou guard T.O. Barrett (5) faces off against Vanderbilt defender AK Okereke (10) in the first half of Wednesday’s game at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Barrett scored 12 points in the first half to help the Tigers capture a win that could prove critical to their push for an NCAA Tournament berth.
Mizzou guard T.O. Barrett (5) faces off against Vanderbilt defender AK Okereke (10) in the first half of Wednesday’s game at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Barrett scored 12 points in the first half to help the Tigers capture a win that could prove critical to their push for an NCAA Tournament berth.
Tournament hopes hung in the balance for an up-and-down Mizzou squad Wednesday night. Every point felt like the last, every play was pertinent against No. 19 Vanderbilt.
Though the Missouri basketball shown at Mizzou Arena in the first few minutes resembled the road performances at Ole Miss and LSU, the Tigers were able to take down the ranked Commodores 81-80.
“Coach always says, ‘Don’t pour cold water on a win,’” junior Trent Pierce said. “We won the game, so we move forward.”
The first half was neck-and-neck, but the final nine minutes proved to be where the real test laid. Mizzou built its lead to 21, a cushy victory seemingly in its future. Things aren’t always what they seem.
With 8:41 left on the clock, Vanderbilt started throwing everything it had at the Tigers. The Commodores went on a 13-2 run over the next two minutes, shrinking Mizzou’s lead to 10. The remaining six minutes proved to be some of the most chaotic and adrenaline-inducing basketball. Vandy had found its missing momentum and was making the Tigers defend their lead. The Commodores refused to roll over to the unranked team threatening their season.
In the final six minutes, Vanderbilt outscored Missouri 23-11 as it found scores, fouls and defensive stops against the Tigers. A full-court press proved to be the Commodores’ near-saving grace and the Tigers downfall as they committed turnover after turnover.
“Not happy about the turnovers late in the game,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. … “But, I thought we successfully broke the press.”
With six seconds left on the clock. Mizzou was up 79-77. Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner fouled sophomore T.O. Barrett, sending him to the line with the game in his hands. One make would put the Tigers in comfortable territory. Two makes would potentially ice out the Commodores. Two misses would leave the door wide open.
Barrett stood at the line, the crowd living and breathing with him. He sank one. Overtime or a win for Mizzou.
Then, he made the second. The crowd took a breath of relief, but Vanderbilt was not ready to give up. The Commodores got the ball in quickly after Barrett’s second make, finding their shooter as the seconds ticked down. Guard Tyler Nickel wasted no time, finding his rhythm and sinking a 3 from straightaway to bring Missouri’s lead to one.
A little over one second remained on the clock, and senior Mark Mitchell stood on the line. All Mitchell needed to do was get the ball into one of his teammates. He fired a long pass, and the only player within reach was Tanner. He catapulted up, reaching, reaching, until he made contact and secured the ball.
Time stopped as the ball left his hand in slow-motion. From half court, Tanner fired a hail-mary shot that could be the winner. The ball hung in the air for a split-second, careening toward the hoop on-line. The ball hit the rim once, bouncing out as the buzzer sounded.
Missouri held the lead, and successfully defended Vanderbilt’s last-quarter push.
Though the last 10 minutes of play were enough action to last a lifetime, Missouri showed out for the previous 30 minutes. The Tigers were off to a cool start, letting Vandy get up 5-0 on them during the early minutes. A 3 from Barrett opened the scoring for Mizzou, a previously unheard of occurrence that seems to be emerging as a new trend. He ended the game shooting 2-for-5 from behind the arc and 8-for-9 from the charity stripe.
Despite the long-range addition to Barrett’s arsenal, what really stood out was his passing. The sophomore guard had five assists on the night, two in quick succession as he fired a pass to an open Pierce on the right wing on one possession and then a cross-court dime to Jayden Stone on the left on the next. Both guards buried the 3s, causing an uproar from Mizzou fans.
Stone led the Tigers in scoring, finishing with 19, while Pierce and Barrett finished with 16. Junior Anthony Robinson II showed renewed fire against the Commodores, ending with 12 points, five from the free-throw line. Mitchell also finished in double-figures, one behind Robinson with 11.
Robinson’s early fouls nearly ruled him out of much playing time, but once he checked in, some would say his karma was reversed as he was on the receiving end of two flagrant fouls from forward Devin McGlockton. The flagrants were within two minutes of each other, causing yet another uprising and demands for his ejection from the game from fans. McGlockton made it to the end of the game, but not before Robinson made him pay in the form of made free throws.
The thriller at Mizzou Arena on Wednesday catapults Mizzou into its next matchup, a road test against No. 20 Arkansas at 3 p.m. Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Originally published on columbiamissourian.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
Mizzou almost squandered a 21-point lead in the final nine minutes, but hung on to earn a massive win over No. 19 Vanderbilt on Wednesday at Mizzou Arena.
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