It was an unfortunate case of senior day sorrows for the Missouri Tigers as it fell 91- 83 to the Kentucky Wildcats in the final game of the regular season. The Tigers started well, getting up to an 11-4 lead early, but an 11-0 run from Kentucky gave control to the Wildcats, and they never let go. Kentucky started slow, but once shots began to fall, they didn’t stop. UK went 48% from the field and 55% from beyond the arc. Mizzou wasn’t too far behind, shooting 43% from the field but only 39% from behind the arc. The Tigers mounted a late comeback, getting back to within five, but it was too little too late for them, dropping their record to 21-10 overall and 10-8 in SEC play. Coach Dennis Gates blamed the loss on simple mistakes like turnovers in inopportune moments and giving up easy buckets, stating, “There were open possessions; probably about eight of their points specifically never got defended because of our mistakes and turnovers that led to layups or dunks. Those are self-inflicted wounds.”
This loss extended the Tigers’ skid to three in a row to end the season and was only their second loss at home this year. The Tigers will finish as the seventh seed in the SEC. What this loss does to the Tigers’ NCAA tournament seeding is yet to be seen. Following the game, Gates said, “The job’s not done yet. The next step is trying to compete for an SEC tournament championship. To be able to win 10 games in this conference is a great accomplishment. I don’t want to belittle that, but we still left a lot on the table.”
The mood during the senior day presentation was somber but celebratory for a group of seniors that brought Missouri’s program back from the depths of what the 2023-24 season was. During the presentation, Tamar Bates had a message for the fan base, “don’t give up on us.” For the Tigers, it’s that simple going forward. There is a lot of basketball left to be played, and the fanbase shouldn’t give up. Mizzou honored Bates, Jacob Crews, Jeremy Sanchez, Josh Gray, Caleb Grill, Tony Perkins and Marques Warrick.
Warrick had his best game of the season, scoring 17 points late into the game to keep Mizzou in striking distance, and this game meant just a little bit more for the Lexington, KY native. After the game, Warrick said, “It felt good just to be out there and play against a team I’ve watched ever since I was a little kid.” Warrick finished 5-for-8 from the field and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.
The Tigers will be back in action on Thursday at 6:00 in the SEC tournament. They will take on the winner of tenth-seeded Mississippi State and fifteenth-seeded LSU.