The University of Missouri men’s basketball team opens its 119th season of play on Monday night, playing at Memphis. Tipoff at the FedExForum is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
ABOUT MISSOURI
• Missouri opens its 119th season of play Monday.
• MU is coming off an injury-plagued 2023-24 season where it finished with an 8-24 record.
• Tamar Bates is the team’s top returner from a year ago after averaging 13.5 points per game (16.2 in SEC play).
• Caleb Grill led the team in rebounding with 5.8 boards per game before missing the season’s final 23 contests with a wrist injury.
• The Tigers also welcome a top-15 transfer and freshman class to the roster in 2024-25.
EXHIBITION RECAP
• MU unofficially opened the season last Saturday with a 90-45 exhibition victory over Lincoln.
• The team’s 45-point win is its largest exhibition victory since 2011.
• Mark Mitchell (22) and Caleb Grill (20) combined for 42 points in the winning effort, making 14-of-17 field goals and 7-of-8 from 3-point range.
• Grill also led Mizzou with six rebounds, while Anthony Robinson II had a team-leading six assists and steals.
ABOUT MEMPHIS
• Memphis is coming off a 22-10 campaign with an 11-7 record in AAC play.
• The Tigers return one starter in Nicholas Jourdian, who averaged 6.5 points and 4.0 rebounds.
• Memphis has played two exhibition games in October, falling to a pair of top-10 schools in North Carolina, 84-76, Alabama, 96-88.
• PJ Haggerty led the Tigers with 28.0 points and 9.0 rebounds during the two exhibition games, while Tyrese Hunter had a team-best 5.0 assists.
SERIES HISTORY
• The schools have played 13 previous times with Memphis leading the series, 8-5.
• Last season, the teams met for the first time in 15 years with Memphis overcoming an early 14-point deficit to earn a 70-55 victory.
• Prior to last season’s meeting, the teams last faced off in the 2009 NCAA Sweet 16 with Missouri posting a 102-91 victory.
• Memphis owns a 5-1 home record versus Mizzou, last facing off in 2003.
MIZZOU VERSUS AAC
• Missouri is 8-3 all-time against the American Athletic Conference since its formation in 2013.
• Last year, the Tigers split a pair of meetings versus the conference, falling to Memphis before earning an 82-72 victory over Wichita State.
• Overall, Dennis Gates is 3-1 versus the American in his two seasons leading the Tigers, also posting wins over the Shockers and UCF in 2022-23.
MIZZOU IN SEASON OPENERS
• The Tigers are set to open their 119th season of play on Monday night at Memphis.
• Mizzou owns a 97-21 all-time record in season openers (82.2 winning percentage), winning its last nine and both openers under Dennis Gates.
• It is the first time Mizzou is starting the season on the road in 21 years – earning a 90-85 win at Oakland in 2003-04.
• Overall, MU is 12-10 in road season openers with its last win over a high-major program against Arkansas in 1970.
• November 4 is the earliest opener in MU history.
NEW FACES
• The Tigers will feature a new look in 2024-25 as MU welcomes a pair of highly-regarded classes.
• Last November, Mizzou signed the nation’s No. 5 freshman class.
• It marks the second-best class ever signed by the Tigers – second only to the No. 4 class in 2017 that featured Michael Porter Jr.
• Mizzou then added the nation’s No. 13 transfer class in the spring.
• Overall, MU is one of just three teams nationally to own a top-15 freshman and transfer class – joining Alabama and Arkansas.
NEWCOMER INDIVIDUAL RANKS
• With highly-ranked newcomer classes, it’s no surprise to see a number of top individuals.
• Among the transfers, Mizzou features three players that ranked in the top 30 – Mark Mitchell (No. 7, CBS Sports), Tony Perkins (No. 13, CBS Sports) and Marques Warrick (No. 28, Rivals).
• The highlight of the freshman class is two-time Arkansas Player of the Year Annor Boateng.
• Boateng is ranked as high as No. 26 nationally – the highest ranked Mizzou freshman since Michael Porter Jr. in 2017.
MITCHELL ON ERVING WATCH LIST
• Among the highlights of the Mizzou newcomers is Mark Mitchell.
• Mitchell is one of 20 players nationally named to the Julius Erving Award Watch List, presented to the country’s top small forward.
• A two-year starter at Duke, Mitchell tallied 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in 2023-24.
LEARNING FROM THE POINT GOD
• Tony Perkins spent some of his summer learning from Chris Paul as he was one of 12 players nationally to earn an invite to his camp.
• Perkins participated in the Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp from June 30 to July 3 this summer.
• A two-time All-Big Ten guard, Perkins averaged 14.0 points and 4.6 assists at Iowa last season.
