Missouri guard Tamar Bates flips in a layup during Saturday’s NCAA men’s basketball game against Florida at Mizzou Arena. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (12-6, 2-3) | 37 | 42 | 79 |
| Missouri (8-10, 0-5) | 34 | 33 | 67 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
COLUMBIA, MO — University of Missouri guard Tamar Bates had a career day in the Tigers’ Saturday night SEC men’s basketball game against Florida at Mizzou Arena.
Unfortunately, the 6-foot-5 junior’s 36 points weren’t enough, as Missouri lost to Florida, 79-67.
“He had an excellent night,” Missouri head coach Dennis Gates said. “He had excellent practices. But ultimately, I think when it comes down to the game, Tamar takes what’s given to him, as you guys can see he’s an excellent scorer.
“He would rather have the win than 36 points, I know that, but individual performance-wise wise it was probably one of the best I‘ve seen in a long time.”
The loss drops the Tigers to 8-10 on the season with a 0-5 record in Southeastern Conference play, while the Gators move to 12-6 and pick up their second conference win, improving to 2-3.
Bates led the Tigers 36 points on 13-of-21 shooting, including a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Bates’ 36 points are the most in a regulation game and the most against a conference opponent since Jan. 16, 2006, when Thomas Gardner scored 40 against Kansas.
Grad student senior Nick Honor added 10 points, but on a night when hardly anyone else contributed, no one else for Mizzou reached double-digits in points.
“The game I thought our guys prepared in a great way leading into the game, excellent practices, unbelievable focus,” Gates said. “It’s a game of runs, and I truly believe we’re able to sustain a run early, but not as much as we want… Tamar Bates had an excellent game, obviously. Nick Honor played a decent game but ultimately, my hat’s off to Florida and what they were able to accomplish.”
Missouri will be on the road for its next two games. On Tuesday, the Tigers will head down to College Station to take on Texas A&M. Then on Saturday, Mizzou will be in the other Columbia to play South Carolina.
Florida 79
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | Samuel,Tyrese | * | 28 | 5-9 | 0-0 | 7-12 | 1-2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| 01 | Clayton Jr.,Walter | * | 29 | 4-11 | 3-6 | 4-5 | 1-2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 05 | Richard,Will | * | 24 | 4-11 | 2-7 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 00 | Pullin,Zyon | * | 34 | 2-6 | 1-4 | 6-6 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| 03 | Handlogten,Micah | * | 30 | 5-7 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 4-9 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 02 | Kugel,Riley | 21 | 3-8 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 2-5 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| 21 | Condon,Alex | 15 | 2-3 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 11 | Aberdeen,Denzel | 14 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Haugh,Thomas | 5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 25-56 | 9-22 | 20-29 | 13-27 | 40 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 79 |
Missouri 67
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Bates, Tamar | * | 34 | 13-21 | 1-4 | 9-9 | 0-1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| 10 | Honor, Nick | * | 31 | 2-5 | 2-3 | 4-4 | 0-2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 35 | Carter, Noah | * | 25 | 3-8 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 55 | East II, Sean | * | 25 | 2-7 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 75 | Vanover, Connor | * | 12 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 00 | Butler, Jordan | 13 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 11 | Pierce, Trent | 9 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 23 | Shaw, Aidan | 14 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 0-4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 | Carralero Martin, Jesus | 18 | 0-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 14 | Robinson II, Anthony | 13 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 04 | Lewis, Curt | 5 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 45 | Majak, Mabor | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 23-53 | 3-16 | 18-21 | 4-23 | 27 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 67 |
2023-24 Mizzou Tigers Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 23, 2024 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | Texas A&M | College Station, Texas |  |
| January 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Away | South Carolina | Columbia, S.C. | |
| January 31, 2024 (Wednesday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Arkansas | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 3, 2024 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Away | Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| February 7, 2024 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | Texas A&M | Mizzou Arena |  |
| February 10, 2024 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Mississippi State | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 17, 2024 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. | |
| February 20, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Home | #5 Tennessee | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 24, 2024 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| February 28, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5:30 p.m. CT | Away | Florida | Gainesville, Fla. | |
| March 2, 2024 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Ole Miss | Mizzou Arena | |
| March 5, 2024 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | Auburn | Mizzou Arena | |
| March 9, 2024 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | LSU | Baton Rouge, La. | |
| March 13-17, 2024 (Wednesday) | TBA | Bridgestone Arena | SEC Tournament | Nashville, Tenn. |