Junior forward Mark Mitchell leads Mizzou in scoring and rebounding as the team heads into SEC play this weekend. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Mizzou Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 14 – Missouri Tigers (11-2) at Auburn Tigers (12-1)
Date/Time – January 4, 2025 – 3 pm
Location – Neville Arena — Auburn, AL
Broadcast — SEC Network
Radio — Tiger Radio Network
Live Stats — Stat Broadcast
Terrance Williams
Staff Writer
AUBURN, AL — The University of Missouri men’s basketball team will begin play in the 2025 portion of its schedule on Saturday, when it travels down south to take on No. 2-ranked Auburn.
Missouri will enter Saturday’s showdown with an 11-2 record, following their win over Alabama State on Monday.
Auburn is 12-1, has won five straight games, and was the champions of the Maui Invitational, which it won with victories over then-No. 5 Iowa State and then-No. 12 North Carolina.
Players to Watch: Two of the nation’s highest scoring offenses will meet in Saturday’s matchup. Auburn will enter ranked fifth nationally, at 88.3 points per game, while Mizzou will come in 10th, averaging 87.3 points per game.
The black & gold Tigers are led by junior forward Mark Mitchell (13.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and grad student guard Tamar Bates (12.9 ppg, 36 percent from three). Mizzou also features a pair of top notch combo guards in sophomore Anthony Robinson II and Tony Perkins.
Senior post man Johni Broome is fourth in the SEC in scoring (18.2 ppg) and leads the league in rebounding (11.5 rpg).
Four other teammates also average double-figures, including Chad Baker-Mazara (12.8 ppg), Tahaad Pettiford (11.2 ppg), Denver Jones (11.1 ppg), and Chaney Johnson (10.4 ppg).
Mizzou fans will also be happy to see senior guard Caleb Grill back on the court. He missed five games due to a neck injury, but made his return in MU’s last game against Alabama State.
Grill is averaging 12.6 ppg this season and leads the SEC in three-point shooting with a 51.1 percent average.
MIZZOU TIGERS STARTERS
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | PPG | RPG | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Anthony Robinson II | So. | Guard | 6’3/180 | 10.5 | 1.6 | 13 | 8 |
| 2 Tamar Bates | Sr. | Guard | 6’5/195 | 13.5 | 1.5 | 28 | 9 |
| 25 Mark Mitchell | Jr. | Forward | 6’9/230 | 12.5 | 5.3 | 35 | 22 |
| 31 Caleb Grill | Gr. | Guard | 6’3/205 | 13.5 | 4.1 | 18 | 13 |
| 33 Josh Gray | Gr. | Center | 7’0/260 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 6 | 15 |
AUBURN TIGERS STARTERS
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | PPG | RPG | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Jefferson Koulibaly | Jr. | Guard | 6’3/190 | 9.0 | 4.4 | 12 | 6 |
| 1 Lamar Washington | Jr. | Guard | 6’4/200 | 9.5 | 3.7 | 42 | 15 |
| 2 Elias Ralph | Sr. | Forward | 6’7/212 | 17.7 | 7.8 | 12 | 5 |
| 3 Petar Krivokapic | Sr. | Guard | 6’4/210 | 5.3 | 2.2 | 19 | 7 |
| 22 Elijah Fisher | Jr. | Guard | 6’6/220 | 17.7 | 3.2 | 15 | 3 |
Up Next: Missouri will be back home for its next contest — the first of two straight at home — when it hosts LSU on Tuesday, January 7.
Tip off for that contest is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.
2024-25 Missouri Tigers Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV/Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 4, 2024 (Monday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Memphis | Memphis, Tenn. | L 83-75 (0-1) |
| November 8, 2024 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Howard | Mizzou Arena | W 77-62 (1-1) |
| November 11, 2024 (Monday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Eastern Washington | Mizzou Arena | W 84-77 (2-1) |
| November 14, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Mississippi Valley State | Mizzou Arena | W 111-39 (3-1) |
| November 22, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Pacific | Mizzou Arena | W 91-56 (4-1) |
| November 24, 2024 (Sunday) | 4 p.m. | Home | Arkansas – Pine Bluff | Mizzou Arena | W 112-63 (5-1) |
| November 27, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Lindenwood | Mizzou Arena | W 81-61 (6-1) |
| December 3, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Home | California | Mizzou Arena | W 98-93 (7-1) |
| December 8, 2024 (Sunday) | Noon | Home | Kansas | Mizzou Arena | W 76-67 (8-1) |
| December 14, 2024 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Home | Long Island | Mizzou Arena | W 88-61 (9-1) |
| December 17, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Jacksonville State | Mizzou Arena | W 83-72 (10-1) |
| December 22, 2024 (Sunday) | Noon | Neutral | Illinois | St. Louis, Mo. / Enterprise Center | L 80-77 (10-2) |
| December 30, 2024 (Monday) | 6:30 p.m. | Alabama State | Mizzou Arena | Mizzou Arena | W 82-65 (11-2) |
| January 4, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Auburn | Auburn, Ala. |  |
| January 7, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | LSU | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 11, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | Vanderbilt | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 14, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | Florida | Gainesville, Fla. |  |
| January 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Arkansas | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 21, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | Texas | Austin, Texas | |
| January 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Ole Miss | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 1, 2025 (Saturday) | Noon | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | |
| February 5, 2025 (Wednesday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| February 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | Texas A&M | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 12, 2025 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | Oklahoma | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Away | Georgia | Athens, Ga. | |
| February 19, 2025 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | Alabama | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| February 25, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | Mizzou Arena | ESPN2 or ESPNU |
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Away | Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| March 5, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Oklahoma | Norman, Okla. |  |
| March 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Home | Kentucky | Mizzou Arena | ESPN or SECN |
| March 12-16, 2025 | TBD | Neutral | SEC Tournament | Nashville, Tenn. / Bridgestone Arena | SECN or ESPN |