Mizzou then-junior Mark Mitchell holds the ball while looking to attack against Vanderbilt on Jan. 11, 2025, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Mitchell and the Tigers are back in action against the Commodores in a game that could help MU’s tournament hopes at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Mizzou then-junior Mark Mitchell holds the ball while looking to attack against Vanderbilt on Jan. 11, 2025, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Mitchell and the Tigers are back in action against the Commodores in a game that could help MU’s tournament hopes at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Mizzou has faced a week of highs and lows following an 86-85 road win over Texas A&M and an 85-68 loss to Texas on Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
The Tigers found themselves on the right side of the bubble following the win over the Aggies but are now back out of ESPN’s latest bracket projection, sitting as the first team of the “First Four Out.” Mizzou now has just three home games remaining for the rest of the season, all against Quad 1 opponents.
The Tigers’ strength of schedule presents a major opportunity to move firmly into the tournament field. They will face the first of these three Southeastern Conference opponents Wednesday night when they welcome No. 19 Vanderbilt to Mizzou Arena.
Year 2 of the Mark Byington era at Vanderbilt has seen continued success from his inaugural season at the helm. The Commodores sit in third place in the SEC with a record of 21-4 overall and 8-4 in conference play. Their high-powered offense has averaged 88.4 points points per game, and they have won five of their last six games.
Vanderbilt’s offensive attack is led by sophomore guard Tyler Tanner. Tanner leads the Commodores in points with 18.3, assists with 5.4 and steals per game with 2.5.
“Tyler Tanner is one of the most improved players in the country,” Mizzou coach Dennis Gates said. … “His speed, his quickness; very seldom does he make mistakes. Being able to not only make decisions quick but being able to get his teammates involved, he does a great job.”
Vanderbilt also brings size in the form of 6-foot-8 senior forward Devin McGlockton. McGlockton is averaging 6.9 rebounds, while also scoring 10.2 points. He will provide a challenge to Mizzou’s leading rebounder, senior forward Mark Mitchell, who is averaging 5.6 boards per game.
“I think ultimately when you have a kid as versatile as Mark but with the IQ, the size, the position, you’ve got to utilize it, and we’ll continue to utilize it,” Gates said. “I think it helps Jacob Crews, Jayden Stone and Trent Pierce get open.
“But again in transition, that’s something he’s also an asset in. Downhill he’s tough to stop.”
The loss to Texas saw the Tigers struggle on both sides of the ball in a second half that eventually got away from them. Mizzou allowed the Longhorns to shoot a whopping 61.5% in the second half, as the Tigers were outscored 52-37 in the game’s final frame.
Missouri hit just eight field goals in the second half of the loss to Texas, shooting just 38.1%.
For Mizzou’s Crews, the key to executing down the stretch is maintaining situational control.
“I think just continuing to not live and die by every play,” Crews said. “Understand that we’re going to have some good plays, we’re going to have some bad plays. … It’s a game of runs; we’ve proven that. We’ve had a lot of games where it seemed it wouldn’t go our way but it went our way.”
The Tigers will also need to capitalize on their home-court advantage down the stretch if they are to enter the NCAA Tournament field. Mizzou has lost just three home games over the last two seasons. With three games remaining at Mizzou Arena, all against high-quality opponents, the importance of defending home turf has been magnified.
“The last game, we had a really good home crowd,” Crews said. “I think if they continue to support us, this is one of the hardest places to play at when you’re an opposing team.”
Mizzou takes on Vanderbilt at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Mizzou Arena.
Originally published on columbiamissourian.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Get the latest local and national news.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
