Missouri guard Tamar Bates tries to make a move against Jackson State’s Ken Evans during Sunday’s NCAA basketball game at Mizzou Arena. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson State (1-5) | 34 | 39 | 73 |
| Missouri (3-2) | 37 | 35 | 72 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
COLUMBIA, MO — The University of Missouri men’s basketball team suffered an absolutely stunning loss Sunday night, when it was defeated by previously winless Jackson State, 73-73, in a game at Mizzou Arena.
Missouri came in as a 15-point favorite and led for most of the first half and almost all of the second. But the Tigers never did pull away from Jackson State, and eventually that bit them, as the visiting Tigers outscored Mizzou 8-1 in the final 1:18 to win the game.
Jackson State’s Chayse Adams hit a spinning jump shot with 5.3 seconds left to give his team the lead and Missouri was unable to get off a shot before the clock ran out.
“Great game, great game plan by Jackson State head coach Mo Williams and his program,” Missouri head coach Dennis Gates said. “They did a tremendous job executing down the stretch, but more specifically, scrapping. I don’t think we won a 50-50 loose ball. I think they were the first on the floor for every loose ball, which is very uncharacteristic of us. But again, I credit Coach Mo Williams and his program. I said before the game, they’re the best 0-5 team in the country and they proved that tonight.”
0-and-5 or not, Jackson State simply battled harder than Missouri did and it paid off at the end when Mizzou committed two turnovers and missed three free throws in the final minute, which allowed Jackson State its chance for a comeback.
With Mizzou leading 71-65, Jackson State got a quick layup basket to make the score 71-67. On the ensuing play, Mizzou ran a set to beat Jackson State’s press that would likely land one of its players alone under the basket for a layup or a dunk.
The set worked, as Mizzou was able to get the ball to freshman Jordan Butler for a potential dunk. But Butler didn’t take the shot. He instead seemed to hold the ball and allow Jackson State to foul him, in what looked like a play to try to run more time off the clock.
Unfortunately though, Butler missed both free throws and Jackson State responded with another quick basket to pull within two. The Tigers committed a turnover on their next possession, which gave Jackson State a chance to tie. The visiting Tigers did that, when Ken Evans made a shot to make the score 71-71 with 15 seconds left.
“It’s always points (over free throws). You get the field goal, no matter what, that’s our philosophy. Again, that was the first time Jordan, in his young career, was in that situation. I’m sure he will learn from it,” Gates said. “I’ll tell you one thing, Jordan Butler, I know he feels bad for missing the two free throws. But more importantly, his teammates was there to make sure his chin was up. Those are the things that I look at.”
On the ensuing inbounds play, Jackson State fouled Mizzou’s Nick Honor, sending him to the line for two shots. The grad student senior only made one, which gave Mizzou a 72-71 lead.
That set up Jackson State’s final possession, where Adams spun himself open and hit a jumper to give the visiting Tigers the lead.
Mizzou’s Sean East raced upcourt to try to find a quick shot, but his pass attempt inside was knocked away and the clock ran out to end the game.
“I thought, you know, when you look at where we were, we just missed out on some opportunities to get some stops but also convert those stops, when we did get them, into baskets,” Gates said.
It’s the worst loss on the head coach’s record since Gates took over the Tigers. It’s likely the worst loss for the program since Dec. 3, 2019, when Missouri fell at home to Charleston Southern, 68-60. It’s a loss that might change the expectations of many about what this group will accomplish this year.
That’s not the case for Gates or his players, though. After the game, Gates didn’t seem angry or overly disappointed. He’s motivated to see his team grow from a loss like this.
“One game will not define us,” Gates said. “I think our guys are going to use this as a lesson to be able to move forward. And we have an opportunity Wednesday to do that. We’re gonna watch the film, we’re gonna learn from it, we’ll practice and do the things that we need to do leading up to it and we’ll prepare.”
Missouri is now 3-2 on the season, but will get a chance to make things right fairly quickly, when it gets back on the court for a game on Wednesday.
That night at Mizzou Arena, the Tigers will host South Carolina State. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Jackson State 73
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Evans,Ken | * | 38 | 9-16 | 3-6 | 1-2 | 0-4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 |
| 23 | O’Neal,Jordan | * | 30 | 8-11 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 18 |
| 04 | Young,Coltie | * | 30 | 4-9 | 2-6 | 4-4 | 1-4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| 10 | Adams,Chase | * | 34 | 3-9 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 03 | Mitchell,Jayme | * | 24 | 0-6 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 01 | Cook ,Zeke | 27 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 2-3 | 5-3 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 05 | Hunt,Keiveon | 12 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 22 | Bell,Jalani | 5 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4-2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 28-62 | 6-18 | 11-16 | 10-22 | 32 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 73 |
Missouri 72
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Honor, Nick | * | 30 | 6-12 | 3-9 | 2-3 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| 35 | Carter, Noah | * | 20 | 3-8 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 55 | East II, Sean | * | 29 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 05 | Tonje, John | * | 7 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 75 | Vanover, Connor | * | 3 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | Grill, Caleb | 24 | 5-8 | 3-6 | 2-2 | 1-6 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 15 | |
| 02 | Bates, Tamar | 18 | 3-6 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| 14 | Robinson II, Anthony | 21 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 5 | |
| 13 | Carralero Martin, Jesus | 18 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 04 | Lewis, Curt | 9 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 23 | Shaw, Aidan | 10 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 00 | Butler, Jordan | 11 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Pierce, Trent | 0+ | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 27-55 | 11-29 | 7-11 | 8-26 | 34 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 72 |
2023-24 Mizzou Tigers Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 22, 2023 (Wednesday) | 6 p.m. | Home | South Carolina State | Mizzou Arena |  |
| November 25, 2023 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Home | Loyola | Mizzou Arena | |
| November 28, 2023 (Tuesday) | 6:30 p.m. | Away | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, Pa. |  |
| December 3, 2023 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Wichita State | Mizzou Arena |  |
| December 9, 2023 (Saturday) | 4:15 p.m. | Away | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. |  |
| December 17, 2023 (Sunday) | 4 p.m. | T-Mobile Center | Seton Hall | Kansas City, Mo. | |
| December 22, 2023 (Friday) | 8 p.m. | Enterprise Center | Illinois | St. Louis, Mo. |  |
| December 30, 2023 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Central Arkansas | Mizzou Arena |  |
| January 6, 2024 (Saturday) | Noon | Home | Georgia | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 9, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Kentucky | Lexington, Ky. | |
| January 13, 2024 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 16, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | |
| January 20, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Florida | Mizzou Arena | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| January 23, 2024 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | |
| January 27, 2024 (Saturday) | Noon CT | 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 | 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. |