RECAP: Mizzou hoops faces early adversity after splitting opening week
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou hoops got a taste of both sides of the win/loss column in opening week, showcasing its firepower in a season-opening blowout before running into trouble against an in-state foe.
Head coach Dennis Gates and his guys finished the week 1-1, following up a 61-point routing of Cleveland State on Monday with a loss to Saint Louis on the road on Friday.
"Give credit to them. They're a really good team. They're a really good team to play, especially early in the season with the style that they play," forward Mark Mitchell said after the loss to the Billikens. "You know, you got to go through a little bit of adversity but we're just gonna keep staying together and keep growing."
That game against SLU presented a unique challenge for the Tigers. Fresh off of the 2025-26 season's NCAA Tournament run, head coach Josh Schertz and his group brought in experience and a style of play that tested a young Mizzou team.
But for Coach Gates, that's exactly why wanted that game on the schedule.
"99 percent of programs would avoid this game, so I'm proud that I put this team in my situation so that we can figure out who we are," he said.
Rather than easing his team into the season, the leader of Tiger hoops viewed that game against the Billikens, which was played for the first time in 25 years, as an opportunity to figure out where his guys stood against quality competition early on in the season.
However, that game came with some growing pains, as the Tigers fell 90-84.
Defensively, Mizzou struggled to contain the Billikens' offense, which drilled 14 3-pointers, with communication breakdowns and missed assignments leading to open shots.
"I think they hesitated a little bit with our length, but ultimately they got us in rotations and those rotations were based off some blown coverages and we left some guys open that we normally would not leave open," Coach Gates said after the game. "But we addressed that in the second half..it's credit to them. They made the shots and ultimately we didn't make enough."
As Gates alluded to, the Tigers had some trouble converting offensively. Forwards Bryson Tiller and Mark Mitchell shouldered a lot of the scoring load, accounting for more than half of MU's total points. But, missed chances near the rim proved costly for Mizzou, as the group finished just 11-for-27 on layup attempts.
Just one game after Mizzou's pair of McDonald's All-Americans combined for 38 points in the season-opener, freshmen Jason Crowe Jr. and Toni Bryant each had tough outing against the Billikens. Crowe Jr. made just three of his 18 shots in the loss, but Coach Gates said there's going to be an adjustment period for these young players.
"What I look at is the potential of those two guys is growth. This is their second college game. And if we sat here and didn't expect any mistakes to be made, we would be lying to each other," Gates said. "So, what I like is how they didn't hold their head down. I love the fact that their teammates picked them up."
Despite the setback against Saint Louis, though, Mizzou still believes it has the roster to compete with teams up to SLU's caliber. The challenge now is translating that confidence and individual talent into a more complete team performance.
Up next - the Tigers will look to get back into the win column, as they host SIUE at Mizzou Arena on Monday at 7 p.m.
