Aiming for its second-straight top-25 win in SEC play, No. 20 University of Missouri men’s basketball takes on No. 14 Mississippi State Saturday afternoon. Tipoff in Starkville is set for noon on SEC Network.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Mizzou is currently ranked No. 20 in the AP poll and No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
• MU enters the weekend with a 16-4 overall mark and is in third place of the SEC standings at 5-2.
• The Tigers are back in action for the first time in a week, coming off an 83-75 win over No. 16 Ole Miss thanks to a combined 48 points from Tamar Bates (26) and Caleb Grill (22).
• Bates leads MU in scoring with 13.5 points per game and is followed by Mark Mitchell (13.1), Grill (12.7) and Anthony Robinson II (10.2).
• Mitchell and Josh Gray are tied for the team lead with 4.9 rebounds, while Robinson has an MU-best 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals.
• Mizzou is 19th nationally with a scoring offense of 83.2 and 16th with a scoring margin of +14.2.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
• Mississippi State is currently the nation’s No. 14 in the AP poll and No. 13 in the coaches poll.
• The Bulldogs are 16-5 on the season with a 4-4 record in SEC play. MSU is coming off an 88-84 home loss to No. 4/4 Alabama Wednesday.
• Josh Hubbard is one of four Bulldogs scoring in double figures with a team-leading 17.3 points.
• KeShawn Murphy is second with 10.8 points to go with a team-best 7.1 rebounds.
• Cameron Matthews has a team-best 3.8 assists.
• Mississippi State averages 80.8 points, while allowing 70.4 defensively.
SERIES HISTORY
• Mississippi State owns a 14-6 advantage in 20 meetings between the two schools and have won eight of the last nine in the series.
• The Bulldogs are also 9-1 against the Tigers in Starkville, winning each of the last eight home games by an average of 15.9 points.
• The Tigers’ only road win versus Mississippi State came in their first year as an SEC school, claiming a 78-36 victory in 2013.
• With both teams ranked, Saturday’s game marks only the second time the teams have faced off with either school in the national polls. In 2021, Mississippi State defeated No. 13 Mizzou, 78-63.
MU THROUGH SEVEN SEC GAMES
• The Tigers are currently tied for third in the SEC standings with a 5-2 conference record.
• The 5-2 start to league plays is Mizzou’s best-ever start through seven SEC games.
• It also matches the team’s best conference start in its last 25 years (also in 2000-01, 2001-02, 2008-09 and 2011-12 in the Big 12) and best overall since a 6-1 start to the 1999-00 season.
• In addition, the Tigers’ 16-4 overall start is the team’s best since 2013-14 (also starting 16-4).
TIGERS IN THE RANKINGS
• Mizzou is enjoying its run in the national ranks.
• At No. 20 in the AP poll, the Tigers have matched their best ranking in the last four seasons, also No. 20 in the Jan. 2 and Jan. 9 polls in 2023.
• Mizzou was last ranked higher in the AP poll on Feb. 8, 2021, when it was No. 10.
• At No. 21 in the coaches poll, MU has its highest rank since placing No. 20 on Jan. 9, 2022.
TOUGH STRETCH
• Competing in the challenging SEC, Mizzou is in the midst of a challenging slate of games as it looks to improve its standing in the conference.
• After defeating No. 16 Ole Miss last Saturday, the Tigers have three additional games against ranked teams – No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 8 Tennessee and No. 13 Texas A&M to follow.
• It marks the first time since 1957-58 that MU is playing four-straight games against ranked foes.
MILESTONE WATCH
• A pair of Tigers have milestones in their sights.
• Whitten Family Head Coach Dennis Gates is one win shy of 100 for his career as he enters Saturday’s game with 99 career victories – 50 at Cleveland State and 49 at Mizzou.
• Additionally, Mark Mitchell has tallied 961 points during his career and is 39 shy of 1,000.
NATIONAL LEADER IN CALEB GRILL
• Caleb Grill took over the national lead in 3-point percentage after Saturday’s win.
• Grill currently leads all players in the country with a 48.3 percent clip from 3-point range.
• Overall, Grill is averaging 12.7 points per game in 2024-25, while ranking third in the SEC and 50th nationally with 2.87 triples per game.
EARLY LEADERS
• The Tigers have made a habit of starting games strong and playing from ahead in the second half.
• Mizzou has had at least a 10-point halftime lead in 13-of-20 games this season, outscoring foes by an average of 10.2 points (41.8 to 31.6).
• MU has led for the entirety of the second half in all five of its SEC wins this year (and 14 times overall), ahead by an average of 12.8 points at the break.
• Overall, the Tigers have had a halftime lead in 16-of-20 games this season. MU is 15-1 with an advantage at the break and 1-3 when trailing.
