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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri Tigers needed a win on Wednesday night against No. 19 Vanderbilt.
A lot was on the line inside Mizzou Arena. A win reinvigorates Missouri’s NCAA tournament chances. A loss, however, would make those chances far murkier.
After leading for most of the second half, the Commodores slowly chipped away at a once-21-point deficit. Visions of a monster-ranked win for the Tigers slowly shifted into nightmares of the most heartbreaking defeat they could suffer.
As a surprising half-court heave from Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner circled in and around the hoop, eventually not falling through the net and to the floor, everyone inside Mizzou Arena could take a deep breath. The Tigers had one 81-80.
A monster hot streak in the early stages of the second half that came from T.O. Barrett, Jayden Stone and Trent Pierce was an electric one that pushed the Tigers ahead by 14 points. It started with a fancy dime from Barrett to Stone for a reverse layup, followed by another pretty pass from Barrett to Pierce. It was capped off by yet another Barrett assist that ended in the hands of Stone on the three-point line.
Stone had himself a pretty basketball game, finishing with 19 points and seven rebounds on 6-for-13 shooting. Barrett finished with 16 points and five assists in limited action after going to the bench in the middle of the second half. He still contributed to that run that fueled the Tigers to an eventual win.
Following that run, the Tigers managed to maintain this lead. It got as large as 21 points and, despite a strong push from the Commodores to get it under double digits, Missouri was able to hold onto it.
It was able to do all of this with its star player, forward Mark Mitchell, brutally struggling on the field. He finished with 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting, tacking on three rebounds and a career-high nine assists, breaking his prior record of eight.
Senior center Shawn Phillips Jr. picked up four fouls early in the second half. He only played 16 minutes in total and the Tigers severely missed his physicality. Stone also picked up three fouls in the second half, which took away some of his aggression on defense.
Because of that foul trouble, the Tigers were forced to slot freshman big man Trent Burns into the lineup. Burns delivered the best performance of his career so far, though he didn’t completely fill out the statsheet.
Burns finished with three points and seven rebounds, along with a lone block. In general, Burns was able to alter multiple shots on the defensive end while being a space eater on offense. His physical presence was important on both sides of the ball and, for seemingly the first time this season, Burns looked comfortable.
The Tigers improved to 18-8 overall and 8-5 in conference play after the defeat.
Missouri hits the road for its next matchup, taking on Arkansas at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena.
FINAL: Missouri 81, Vanderbilt 80
3:17 – Missouri 74, Vanderbilt 64
The Tigers have reeled things in a bit, but Vanderbilt is still lurking. The biggest issue has been turnovers and Vanderbilt's pressure, which the Tigers are still figuring out how to defeat.
6:45 – Missouri 67, Vanderbilt 57
A once extensive Missouri lead is starting to shrink after a 9-0 run in under a minute for the Commodores. That's stemmed from their full-court pressure, which has forced three-straight turnovers.
7:45 – Missouri 65, Vanderbilt 46
After a long stoppage and appeals from both coaches, Vanderbilt's Devin McGlockton is on the bench with two Flagrant 1 fouls and time for Vanderbilt to come back is slowly slipping away.
8:43 – Missouri 62, Vanderbilt 44
If the Tigers can hold on, this is starting to look like one of the most impressive and comfortable wins they've earned all season. Without Barrett on the court, the Tigers have been able to stay steady on both sides of the ball.
11:38 – Missouri 54, Vanderbilt 38
Despite Missouri's lead growing, another important Tiger is in foul trouble. Stone just picked up his third on a questionable touch foul, but he's going to the bench nonetheless. The Tigers will have to manage these and coast to a comfortable time with them on the bench, while also maintaining this lead.
13:00 – Missouri 52, Vanderbilt 38
Phillips just picked up his fourth foul of the game in a matter of seconds after replacing Burns. Burns went right back into the game after that, which will likely leave him on the court for the remainder of the second half.
15:23 – Missouri 47, Vanderbilt 33
The Tigers are on a 10-0 run and have opened up a 14-point lead to start the second half. Triples from Stone and Trent Pierce with fancy assists from Barrett have also ignited Mizzou Arena. Holding onto this lead will now be the biggest challenge.
17:20 – Missouri 39, Vanderbilt 33
Trent Burns is in the game early to replace Phillips to prevent him from picking up more fouls. This is the most extensive run Burns has earned all season and he's blocked one shot and grabbed two rebounds, so far.
HALF: Missouri 36, Vanderbilt 30
1:43 – Missouri 31, Vanderbilt 28
Both offenses have stalled a little bit over the last few minutes of the half. The defensive intensity, however, has picked up. Both teams are also starting to get to the free-throw line more as fouls are racking up. Missouri has attempted 11 and Vanderbilt has attempted six.
3:56 – Missouri 29, Vanderbilt 25
Barrett has now hit two triples in the first half and is up to 10 points in total. The Tigers have been able to generate some stops on the other end, as well.
7:51 – MIssouri 21, Vanderbilt 15
Another big triple from Stone has vaulted the Tigers ahead further. This one came with an extra point after getting fouled, as well. Missouri is also getting some quality minutes out of redshirt freshman big man Trent Burns, who altered a shot and grabbed a board.
11:12 – Missouri 14, Vanderbilt 13
Missouri has its first lead of the night after a triple from Jayden Stone. The Tigers are still struggling on offense, but have taken advantage of a few opportunities over the last stretch of minutes to jump ahead. Barrett has been at the forefront of the run.
15:24 – Missouri 4, Vanderbilt 9
Missouri is off to a slow start on offense. Vanderbilt's been suffocating in the paint and has done an excellent job running the Tigers off the perimeter. T.O. barrett and Shawn Phillips Jr. were also pulled out of the game early in favor of Anthony Robinson II and Nicholas Randall.
Missouri
Vanderbilt
G T.O. Barrett
G Tyler Tanner
G Jayden Stone
F Tyler Nickel
F Trent Pierce
F AK Okereke
F Mark Mitchell
F Jalen Washington
C Shawn Phillips Jr.
F Devin McGlockton
Missouri
G Annor Boateng (Leg, season) – OUT
F Jevon Porter (Leg) – OUT
Boateng and Porter are still out for the Tigers, but junior guard Sebastian Mack is off the injury report after being sick for their last game against Texas. He could provide some important depth for the Tigers if Anthony Robinson II or others get into foul trouble.
Vanderbilt
G Duke Miles – OUT
G Frankie Collins – OUT
Despite both players making progress toward returning to the floor, two of Vanderbilt's most important guards remain out during a crucial stretch of play. Miles is currently the second leading scorer for the Commodores.
Who: Missouri (17-8, 7-5 SEC) vs. No. 19 Vanderbilt (e21-4, 8-4 SEC)
When: 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18
Where: Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Color: Chris Gervino)
SiriusXM: Missouri – 190, Texas – 191
Series: Missouri leads 10-9.
Last Time Out, Missouri: The Tigers were beaten down by the Texas Longhorns at home, losing 85.68. It was a game the Tigers were supposed to win on paper and now they are on the outside looking in of the NCAA tournament bubble.
Last Time Out, Vanderbilt: The Commodores comfortably beat Texas A&M, a team that the Tigers barely squeaked by on the road two games ago. Vanderbilt won 82-69, led by a 25-point performance from forward Tyler Nickel.
Last Meeting: Jan. 21, 2025 – The Tigers lost 93-87 in overtime in Nashville. This was one of the last games of the season for the Tigers and it ended up being an important defeat.
Michael Stamps is attending the University of Missouri pursuing a degree in journalism. He joined Missouri Tigers On SI as a recruiting writer in 2023, but his beats have subsequently included football and basketball, plus recruiting. Michael is from Papillion, Neb.
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