Mizzou coach Dennis Gates & SLU coach Josh Schertz will meet for the first time, Friday night at Enterprise Center. (Image: Jackie Ismert)
SLU-Mizzou “Show-Me Showdown” – Gameday Info
Game No. 2 – Saint Louis University Billikens (1-0) vs. Missouri Tigers (1-0)
Date/Time – November 6, 2026 – 6 pm
Location – Enterprise Center — St. Louis, MO
Broadcast – ESPNU
Radio – KMOX 1120AM KTRS 550 AM
Live Stats – Sidearm Stats
ST. LOUIS, MO — The two most prominent men’s basketball teams in the state will meet for the first time in 25 years on Friday night, when the Saint Louis University Billikens and the University of Missouri Tigers will square off at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
This meeting has been a long time coming.
Some in the past didn’t want it to happen. Others made sure it would never happen. But the two coaches, SLU’s Josh Schertz and Mizzou’s Dennis Gates made it happen.
“It’s super cool,” Schertz said when he met with the media earlier this week. “It’s all our fans have been talking about. They can’t wait to face Mizzou.
“And there’s two things I’ve said. First, Dennis picked up the phone and made this game happen. And I have such great respect for him as a coach and as a person. He’s done a wonderful job at Missouri. He’s got a fantastic team that could compete for a national championship. And it was his idea to make this happen.”
Standout wing Kellen Thames will lead SLU in its matchup against Mizzou, Friday night at Enterprise Center. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Gates also wanted to praise Schertz and Saint Louis.
“It’s gonna be great to have a chance to play those guys,” Gates said. “They’ve got a veteran team that does everything well. They score. They defend. They play together. They’re all unselfish and share the ball. They won their conference last year and got further than we did in the NCAA tournament. It’s gonna be a great night when Mizzou and SLU finally get together.”
Players to Watch: In a game of stars, the two most prominent names probably belong to a freshman and a fifth-year senior.
The freshman is Mizzou first-year phenom Jason Crowe, Jr., the former 5-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, who already is the Tigers’ best player and possibly the most dynamic Missouri player since current NBA star Michael Porter Jr.
Crowe averaged 38.8 points per game as a senior in high school and had 23 points in Mizzou’s season-opening win over Cleveland State on Tuesday.
The fifth-year senior everyone will be watching is SLU’s two-time All-Atlantic 10 big man Robbie Avila, who was just granted a temporary injunction to play college ball for the Billikens this season.
Many expected Avila to land in the NBA this fall, after ending the college season with the Billikens last year. Things didn’t quite work out and the NCAA started granting players a fifth year of eligibility.
Avila requested he be included and initially was denied. But a federal court announced on Tuesday that it was granting Avila temporary permission to play while it looked more into his amateur status.
That final decision probably won’t come for weeks. For now though, Avila can play and is expected to make his season debut against Mizzou on Friday.
Other stars to watch include Mizzou fifth-year senior Mark Mitchell, who was granted permission to play this year, and freshman power forward Toni Bryant, who had 15 points, six rebounds, and five blocks in the win on Tuesday.
And for SLU, native St. Louisan Kellen Thames, who had 15 points, six rebounds, and three steals in the Billikens’ win over Lehigh. Sharpshooter Trey Green, who shot 46% from three last season, also figures to be a key player in Friday night’s action.
If he can get hot, SLU might just run Mizzou right out of the arena.
However the night goes, for basketball fans in St. Louis it’ll be historic and fantastic.
All-SEC forward Mark Mitchell will be back to lead Mizzou in its matchup against SLU, Friday night at Enterprise Center. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
STARTING LINEUPS
SLU BILLIKENS
G: 3 Trey Green (SR, 10.7 PPG in 2025-26)
G: 1 Quentin Jones (SR, 9.1 PPG in 2025-26)
G: 9 Ishan Sharma (JR, 9.1 PPG in 2025-26)
F: 0 Kellen Thames (5 YR, 9.7 PPG in 2025-26)
F: 7 Alon Michaeli (SO, 7.1 PPG in 2025-26 at Colorado)
Notable Sixth Man: 21 Robbie Avila (5 YR, 12.8 PPG in 2025-26)
MIZZOU TIGERS
G: 5 Jason Crowe Jr. (FR, No. 7 recruit nationally)
F: 11 Trent Pierce (SR, 10.4 PPG in 25-26)
F: 14 Toni Bryant (FR, No. 21 recruit nationally)
F: 25 Mark Mitchell (5 YR, 18.3 PPG in 25-26)
C: 15 Bryson Tiller (SO, 7.9 PPG in 25-26 at Kansas)
Notable Sixth Man: 1 Jamier Jones (SO, 11.9 PPG in 2025-26 at Providence)
Freshman phenom Jason Crowe, Jr., scored 23 points in Mizzou’s win over Cleveland State on Tuesday. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Up Next: Mizzou will be back at home and back in action on Monday, when they’ll host SIU-Edwardsville in a game at Mizzou Arena. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
SLU will be off until Tuesday, when they’ll also be at home for a matchup against Northern Kentucky. Tip off that evening at Chaifetz Arena is set 7 p.m., and that game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
2026-27 MISSOURI TIGERS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Radio | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3, 2026 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | Cleveland State | Mizzou Arena |  |  | W, 111-50 (1-0) |
| November 6, 2026 (Friday) | 6 pm | Neutral | Saint Louis | St. Louis, Mo. (Enterprise Center) |  | | |
| November 9, 2026 (Monday) | 7 pm | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| November 15, 2026 (Sunday) | 1:30 pm | Neutral | Marquette | Chicago, IL |  | | |
| November 18, 2026 (Wednesday) | 8 pm | Home | Alcorn State | Mizzou Arena |  | | |
| November 20, 2026 (Friday) | 7 pm | Home | Le Moyne | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| November 24, 2026 (Tuesday) | 8 pm | Home | Evansville | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| November 27, 2026 (Friday) | 3 pm | Home | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| December 1, 2026 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Home | Pittsburgh | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| December 6, 2026 (Sunday) | 4 pm | Neutral | Kansas | Kansas City, MO |  | | |
| December 12, 2026 (Saturday) | 6 pm | Neutral | Nebraska | Kansas City, MO | | | |
| December 18, 2026 (Friday) | 6 pm | Away | Indiana | Bloomington, IN |  | | |
| December 20, 2026 (Sunday) | 6:30 pm | Neutral | Illinois | St. Louis, Mo. (Enterprise Center) |  | | |
| December 22, 2026 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | Chicago State | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| January 2, 2027 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Away | Arkansas* | Fayetteville, AR |  | | |
| January 5, 2027 (Tuesday) | 8 pm | Home | Texas A&M* | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| January 9, 2027 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Home | Kentucky* | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| January 13, 2027 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Away | Tennessee* | Knoxville, TN | | | |
| January 16, 2027 (Saturday) | 12 pm | Home | South Carolina* | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| January 19, 2027 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Oklahoma* | Norman, OK | | | |
| January 23, 2027 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Away | Vanderbilt* | Nashville, TN | | | |
| January 26, 2027 (Tuesday) | 8 pm | Home | Alabama* | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| January 30, 2027 (Saturday) | 5 pm | Home | Ole Miss* | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| February 3, 2027 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Away | Mississippi State* | Starkville, MS | | | |
| February 6, 2027 (Saturday) | 12 pm | Home | Tennessee* | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| February 13, 2027 (Saturday) | 11 am | Away | Florida* | Gainesville, FL | | | |
| February 16, 2027 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Home | Oklahoma* | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| February 20, 2027 (Saturday) | 11 am | Away | Auburn* | Auburn, AL | | | |
| February 23, 2027 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Home | Arkansas* | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| February 27, 2027 (Saturday) | 5 pm | Away | Georgia* | Athens, GA | | | |
| March 2, 2027 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Texas* | Austin, TX | | | |
| March 6, 2027 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Home | LSU* | Mizzou Arena | | | |
| March 10-14, 2027 | TBD | Neutral | SEC Tournament | Nashville, TN | | |
* – denotes Southeastern Conference game
2026-27 SLU BILLIKENS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Radio | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2, 2026 (Monday) | 7 pm | Home | Lehigh | Chaifetz Arena |  |  | W, 92-67 (1-0) |
| November 6, 2026 (Friday) | 6 pm | Neutral | Missouri | St. Louis, Mo. (Enterprise Center) | | | |
| November 10, 2026 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | Northern Kentucky | Chaifetz Arena |  | | |
| November 15, 2026 (Sunday) | 2 pm | Home | High Point | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| November 20, 2026 (Friday) | 10 pm | Away | Saint Mary’s | Moraga, Calif. | | | |
| November 24, 2026 (Tuesday) | 8:30 pm | Neutral | Grand Canyon | Palm Desert, Calif. (Acrisure Arena) |  | | |
| November 25, 2026 (Wednesday) | 8:30 pm or 11 pm | Neutral | Colorado or Stanford | Palm Desert, Calif. (Acrisure Arena) | | | |
| November 29, 2026 (Sunday) | 2:30 pm | Neutral | South Florida | Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena) | | | |
| December 2, 2026 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| December 6, 2026 (Sunday) | 1 pm | Home | Southeast Missouri | Chaifetz Arena |  | | |
| December 12, 2026 (Saturday) | 5:30 pm | Home | DePaul | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| December 15, 2026 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | Florida A&M | Chaifetz Arena |  | | |
| December 20, 2026 (Sunday) | 2 pm | Home | Jackson State | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| December 27, 2026 (Sunday) | 2 pm | Home | Missouri Baptist | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| December 30, 2026 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Away | Fordham* | Bronx, N.Y. |  | | |
| January 2, 2027 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Home | St. Bonaventure* | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| January 6, 2027 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Away | Richmond* | Richmond, Va. | | | |
| January 9, 2027 (Saturday) | 5 pm | Home | Dayton* | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| January 13, 2027 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Home | Loyola Chicago* | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| January 20, 2027 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Away | La Salle* | Philadelphia, Pa. | | | |
| January 23, 2027 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s* | Philadelphia, Pa. | | | |
| January 26, 2027 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Home | Rhode Island* | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| January 29, 2027 (Friday) | 5 pm | Away | Dayton* | Dayton, Ohio | | | |
| February 5, 2027 (Friday) | 6 pm | Home | VCU* | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| February 9, 2027 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Away | Loyola Chicago* | Chicago, Ill. | | | |
| February 12, 2027 (Friday) | 6 pm | Home | Saint Joseph’s* | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| February 16, 2027 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Home | Davidson* | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| February 19, 2027 (Friday) | 6 pm | Away | VCU* | Richmond, Va. | | | |
| February 24, 2027 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | La Salle* | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| February 27, 2027 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Away | George Washington* | Washington, D.C. | | | |
| March 3, 2027 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Away | Duquesne* | Pittsburgh, Pa. | | | |
| March 6, 2027 (Saturday) | 1:30 pm | Home | George Mason* | Chaifetz Arena | | | |
| March 10-14, 2027 | TBD | Neutral | Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament | Bronx, N.Y. | | |
* – denotes Atlantic 10 Conference game