The University of Missouri men’s basketball team makes its return to Mizzou Arena on Friday night, opening its home season versus Howard. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.
PROMOTIONS
• Fans can take advantage of a special home-opener ticket promotion, buying four tickets for only $24 by clicking here.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
• Starting this season, a clear bag policy is in effect for Mizzou Arena.
• Bags must be clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC and not exceeding 12″ x 6″ x 12″, one-gallon, clear plastic freezer bags or small clutch bags that do not exceed 4.5″ x 6.5″. An institutionally approved logo no larger than 4.5″ x 3.4″ may be displayed on one side of permissible clear bag.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• MU dropped an 83-75 road contest to Memphis Monday to open the 2024-25 campaign.
• The Tigers were led by Anthony Robinson II. In his first career start, Robinson set career highs with 16 points and seven assists.
• Overall, four Tigers scored in double figures – Tamar Bates (13), Trent Pierce (13) and Aidan Shaw (11) also reaching the mark.
• Junior Mark Mitchell led the team with seven rebounds.
ABOUT THE BISON
• Howard opened the 2024-25 campaign at No. 1 Kansas, falling 87-57.
• Blake Harper led the team with 16 points to go with three assists.
• Bryce Harris and Jaren Johnson collected a team-leading six rebounds for Howard.
• Howard was picked first in the MEAC preseason poll and has won the league’s tournament title the last two seasons.
SERIES HISTORY
• The schools are meeting for the first time.
MIZZOU VERSUS MEAC
• Missouri owns a 17-3 all-time record versus MEAC schools, including a 17-2 mark in Columbia.
• The Tigers last played a MEAC foe last season, when they defeated South Carolina State, 82-59.
MIZZOU IN HOME OPENERS
• The Tigers are playing an official game in Mizzou Arena for the first time this season.
• Mizzou owns a 102-16 all-time record in its first home game of the season and have won nine-straight home debuts.
SOPHOMORE SURGE
• Through one game, Anthony Robinson II and Trent Pierce are quickly proving they are no longer freshmen.
• The duo each scored in double figures Monday at Memphis, doing so after scoring 10-plus points in a combined four games last season.
• Making his first collegiate start, Robinson set career highs with 16 points and seven assists.
• His 16 points top his previous best tally of 10 as he led the team in scoring for the first time in 31 career games.
• Pierce also tallied a career-best 13 points, scoring in double figures for the second time in his career.
SHAW SHINES IN OPENER
• It wasn’t just the sophomores who showed a new look in the season opener.
• Junior Aidan Shaw scored in double figures for the fifth time in his career – tallying 11 points on a perfect shooting day (4-4 overall, 1-1 from 3-point range and 2-2 from the free-throw line).
• Shaw’s made triple was his first since March 1, 2023 at LSU.
CHASING 50-40-90
• Tamar Bates is chasing the 50-40-90 mark for the second-straight season as a Tiger.
• Last season, Bates nearly became the first MU player in school history to join the 50-40-90 club.
• The guard finished the year making 49.5 percent of his field goals, 38.5 percent of his triples and 92.6 percent of his free throws.
• In fact, if Bates had just turned two of his missed triples to makes, he would have hit the marks.
• In the season opener, Bates shot 50.0 percent from the field (5-10) and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc (3-7), scoring 13 points.
PLAYING FAST
• The Tigers were at their best in transition during the season opener.
• Mizzou tallied 26 fastbreak points at Memphis, representing 34.7 percent of its scoring.
• The 26 fastbreak points are the most by the Tigers since scoring 31 against Southeast Missouri State on Dec. 4, 2022.
NEW FACES
• The Tigers feature a new look in 2024-25 as MU welcomed a pair of highly-regarded classes.
• MU started by signing the 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.
