The Missouri Tigers picked up their second top five victory of the season on Tuesday night, beating the No. 5 Florida Gators 83-82.
Missouri knew that a win wouldn’t come easy. The Tigers were playing on the road in a notoriously tough environment, against a team who beat the then-No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers by 30 just one week prior.
The Tigers got off to an explosive start in the O’Dome, and led 21-14 seven minutes into the game. The Tigers were able to extend their lead behind the efforts of Caleb Grill and Jacob Crews off the bench. The duo combined for 17 points in just over four minutes, 12 of which came from Grill’s four straight three-pointers.
The Tigers first half onslaught did not stop there, with Anthony Robinson joining the offensive festivities, hitting a three pointer and a mid range jumper to give the Tigers their largest lead of the game at 19.
Although the story of the first half was Missouri’s offense, Florida’s preseason All-SEC guard Walter Clayton Jr. was able to single handedly keep the Gators in the game. Clayton scored 18 in the half for the Gators, while Florida’s second leading scorer in the frame was Alijah Martin, who had 6.
Despite Clayton’s efforts, Missouri would go into halftime with a comfortable 16 point lead, however, the next 20 minutes would prove to be the Tigers’ biggest challenge of the season yet.
The Florida offense came out with a message to prove. Missouri knew that if any team was to come back from being down 16 points, it would be the Gators, and they did just that. The Tigers, who at one point led by 19, found themselves up by a mere 3 points with 8 minutes to go in the second half.
Missouri however, found an unsung hero in Trent Pierce, the lanky sophomore guard. Pierce had many momentum-shifting plays, including an emphatic and-one dunk over two Florida defenders. He also had another dunk and three-pointer with four minutes left, which gave Missouri a six point lead.
Despite Pierce’s efforts, Missouri still had its backs against the wall. In addition to the Tigers defensive collapse, Missouri also found themselves in a very familiar territory: Foul trouble.
Fouls were a major point of controversy in this game for both teams, which is no new story for the Tigers, who lead the country in free throws made per game. In the first half alone, Florida’s Thomas Haugh was called for four personal fouls, while Missouri’s Marcus Allen found himself with three. The whistle did not stop there, though, as Missouri’s Tony Perkins would be ejected midway through the second half for a Flagrant 2 call after a seemingly inadvertent rip through move caught Martin in the groin. The Gators ended up with 31 free throw attempts on the night, while the Tigers finished with 29. However, despite their abundance of trips to the line, the Tigers once again struggled to convert, shooting a mere 62%. The Tigers also seemed to be unable to convert at the line when they needed it most. Both Josh Gray and Caleb Grill came up 0/2 in two crucial late trips to the line. Grill was able to redeem himself, as both he and Mark Mitchell went 2-2 at the line in the last 28 seconds.
Despite Missouri’s second half defensive collapse, the Tigers were able to once again rely on their bench to help propel them to a win. In nail biting fashion, the Tigers picked up their second top five win of the year which was also Missouri’s first road win since Nov. 28, 2023, at Pitt. Missouri also collected its third straight win in SEC play. The Tigers, who finished 0-18 in conference play last year, currently sit tied for third place in the conference at 3-1.
Florida will continue SEC play against Texas on Jan. 18. The Gators will hope to get back to their winning ways and continue their efforts for a top seed in March.
The Tigers will face 6 ranked teams, including No. 4 Alabama and No. 6 Tennessee, over the next month. Missouri will start off that stretch this Saturday night when Arkansas comes to town. Tipoff is slated for 5 PM from Mizzou Arena.