Mizzou seniors Tamar Bates (2) and Tony Perkins (12) celebrate the Tigers’ win over Ole Miss, Saturday night at Mizzou Arena. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| #16 Ole Miss (15-5, 4-3) | 31 | 44 | 75 |
| #22 Missouri (16-4, 5-2) | 38 | 45 | 83 |
Terrance Williams
Staff Writer
COLUMBIA, MO — The first matchup between dual Top 25 opponents at Mizzou Arena proved to be another thrilling evening for the University of Missouri men’s basketball team, as the No. 22-ranked Tigers defeated No. 16 Ole Miss, 83-75, in an important Southeastern Conference game.
The win raised Missouri’s overall season record to 16-4 and its SEC league mark to 5-2, which puts the Tigers in a third-place tie with Florida in the conference standings. Auburn and Alabama, who a 6-0 and 6-1, respectively, in league play hold first and second place in the SEC standings.
Ole Miss, which has lost three straight against ranked opponents after handing Alabama its lone conference loss on January 14, is now 15-5 on the year and 4-3 in the league.
Mizzou point guard Anthony Robinson II works against an Ole Miss defender during Saturday’s SEC basketball game at Mizzou Arena. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Missouri got huge nights from two its senior leaders, as Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill combined to score 48 points to lead the Tigers. Bates scored 26 points, including a season-best four three-pointers, and Grill added 22 points, with five three’s to pace Mizzou.
Ole Miss began the game by scoring the first eight points to silence the sold-out crowd of 15,061. But Missouri answered right back, by scoring the next 12 points to take its first lead of the game.
The teams traded buckets for the next couple of minutes, which saw both teams hold brief leads, but Mizzou went on a 10-1 run to grab a 28-19 lead midway through the first half. The Tigers never trailed again.
“These two to my right and left (Bates and Grill), they carried us,” Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates said. “They made big play after big play, and they were definitely doing the same in the huddle with their leadership. So I’m proud of these two.”
The 26 points was the second-most for Bates this season, after he led the Tigers with 29 points in their win over then No. 1-ranked Kansas on December 8. It was also the third time this season that he scored 20 points or more in a game.
Grill’s 22 points marked the fourth time he scored 20 or more in a game, capped by his 33 points against Eastern Washington on November 11.
“After the (Texas) game … I mean, the same thing could have happened tonight where we didn’t make shots,” Bates said. “So our mindset was to not let the defensive side of the ball be dictated on if we were making or missing shots or not. So I feel like because we came in with a mindset to get stops and play defense, and to stop the man in front of us, and to help the helper if somebody gets beat, that in turn gave us energy and gave the ball energy and just helped us make shots.”
Caleb Grill scored 22 points and hit five three-pointers in Mizzou’s win over Ole Miss on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
The Tigers will enjoy several days off before returning to the floor next Saturday, February 1, when the club will go on the road to take on No. 14 Mississippi State. That game will tip off at noon and will be televised live on the SEC Network.
Ole Miss 75
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Dia,Malik | * | 26 | 6-13 | 0-3 | 5-6 | 1-7 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| 03 | Pedulla,Sean | * | 37 | 6-11 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| 04 | Brakefield,Jaemyn | * | 29 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 4-7 | 0-2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 11 | Murrell,Matthew | * | 37 | 5-13 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| 05 | Murray,Jaylen | * | 31 | 3-7 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 01 | Brown-Jones,Mikeal | 10 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 07 | Barnes,Davon | 13 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0-4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 08 | Klafke,Eduardo | 14 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 10 | Bol,John | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 28-58 | 6-20 | 13-18 | 5-23 | 28 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 75 |
Missouri 83
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Bates, Tamar | * | 28 | 8-13 | 4-6 | 6-6 | 0-5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| 11 | Pierce, Trent | * | 33 | 2-8 | 0-4 | 3-6 | 2-4 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 00 | Robinson II, Anthony | * | 25 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 4-4 | 0-7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 12 | Perkins, Tony | * | 28 | 1-4 | 0-1 | 4-6 | 2-3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| 25 | Mitchell, Mark | * | 26 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 4-6 | 1-1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 31 | Grill, Caleb | 30 | 6-12 | 5-9 | 5-5 | 2-3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | |
| 35 | Crews, Jacob | 12 | 2-5 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 33 | Gray, Josh | 14 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2-6 | 2-1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 23 | Shaw, Aidan | 3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 21 | Marshall, Peyton | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 22-49 | 11-25 | 28-39 | 11-28 | 39 | 19 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 83 |
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 | #1 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 | #2 Auburn | Auburn, Ala. | L 84-68 (11-3) |
| January 7, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | LSU | Mizzou Arena | W 83-67 (12-3) |
| January 11, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | Vanderbilt | Mizzou Arena | W 75-66 (13-3) |
| January 14, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | #5 Florida | Gainesville, Fla. | W 83-82 (14-3) |
| January 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Arkansas | Mizzou Arena | W 83-65 (15-3) |
| January 21, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | Texas | Austin, Texas | L 61-53 (15-4) |
| January 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Home | #16 Ole Miss | Mizzou Arena | W 83-75 (16-4) |
| February 1, 2025 (Saturday) | Noon | Away | #14 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 |
One thought on “No. 22 Tigers Take Down No. 16 Ole Miss In Showdown At Mizzou Arena”