Mizzou hoops stuns No. 5 Florida in Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou men's basketball team now has two Top-5 upsets in the 2024-25 campaign and it's only the middle of January.
On Tuesday night, the Tigers toppled No. 5 Florida in Gainesville, 83-82. Head coach Dennis Gates' crew built up a big lead in the first half, which ended up carrying them to the finish line, despite a late push by the Gators.
The victory marks Mizzou's first Top-5 upset on the road since 2012.
Guard Caleb Grill was the difference-maker for Mizzou in the upset. He rang off four first half 3-pointers on his way to a 22-point night. Through 40 minutes, he made six triples, shooting 60 percent from beyond the arc.
In total, Mizzou drained seven first half 3-pointers to carry a 16-point lead into halftime.
After the break, the Gators finally started swinging. After MU led by nearly 20 points, No. 5 Florida managed to make it a one possession game, multiple times, as Walter Clayton Jr. was everything for the Gators, scoring a team-high 28 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Despite that late push, Mizzou managed to hold off the attack.
Four Tigers finished in double-figures on Tuesday night. In addition to Grill, forward Mark Mitchell (12), guard Anthony Robinson (12) and guard Tamar Bates (10) all ended with a solid shooting night.
Overall, MU went 46 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range in the win.
Up next - Gates and company will host Arkansas in rivalry action at Mizzou Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m.
