It had been 296 days since the Missouri Tigers last faced an SEC opponent on the hardwood. The Tigers opened up SEC play on Jan 3, and did so in dramatic fashion, knocking off the No. 22 Florida Gators in a nail-biting win that came down to the final whistle. Missouri suffered defeat at the hands of the reigning National Champs, in last year’s SEC tournament, and avenged that loss with a 76-74 win, Missouri’s first with a fully healthy team. The Tigers looked to start their season in similar fashion to last year, where Missouri knocked off the No.5 Gators by just one point.
A Missouri squad that 13 games into the season, had not yet played with a fully healthy roster, received contributions from all throughout their roster in their first full game back, however the two storied performances, was the Junior tandem of Anthony Robinson II and Trent Pierce. Robinson and Pierce, who both ended the first half with just six and three points, served as the Tigers main offensive source down the final stretch. Robinson, who finished with 19, banked in a go ahead three pointer to give the Tigers the lead while Pierce scored a key five points with two minutes remaining to regain the lead for Missouri.
The Tigers first half offense was led by the veterans Jayden Stone and Jacob Crews. The two seniors both finished with nine first half points, with Stone finding his success from beyond the arc, going 2-3 from three point range, while Crews made his way to the charity stripe, shooting 7-8 from the free throw line in the first half.
Free throws, as per usual, were a struggle for the Tigers. In a game that seemed to have a foul called on every possession, Missouri shot just 60% from the line, while the Gators converted at a 75% rate. Both teams found themselves in the Bonus just halfway through the 2nd half, with three of Florida’s star players, Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and Reuben Chinyelu finishing the game with four personal fouls each. Gator’s head coach Todd Golden expressed displeasure with the officiating at multiple times throughout the game, having to sit his star players to prevent them from potentially fouling out. Haugh, the favorite for SEC player of the year, finished with 24 points, 18 of which came from inside the three point line.
Despite the high scoring game from Haugh, the Tigers defense still made headlines, holding the defending national champs to only 74 points, the second lowest point total of the season for Florida. This was in large part due to Missouri’s defense within the paint. Florida, who boasts three star big men in Haugh, Condon, and Chinyelu, is one of the most efficient offenses in the country in scoring down low. Missouri head coach Dennis Gates utilized his entire bench in stopping the paint attack for the Gators, with four different players seeing minutes at the center position for the Tigers, including RS Freshman Trent Burns, who hit a buzzer beater three pointer to tie the game going into the half.
Florida, who despite winning a championship last year have struggled thus far, look to improve their conference record to .500 against the No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs. That game will take place on Jan. 6 at 6 PM.
Missouri, who suffered a 43-point loss at the hands of No. 20 Illinois, entered the game looking to rebound with a fully healthy squad in their first conference game. The Tigers did just that, putting together a complete game against the reigning National Champions, and moving to 1-0 in SEC Play. Missouri looks to stay undefeated in conference play against Kentucky, where the Tigers will take on the Wildcats on the road on Jan. 7 at 6 PM.