The Missouri Tigers are halfway into their Southeastern Conference schedule, sitting seventh in the conference at 5-4. On one hand, Missouri has shown it can hang with anybody, notching a victory against the No. 19 Florida Gators and a down-to-the-wire matchup against the No. 21 Georgia Bulldogs. On the other hand, the Tigers’ resume has been muddied by a loss to Ole Miss and a blowout loss to Alabama. They also needed double overtime and two different buzzer beaters to take down the last-place in the SEC Oklahoma Sooners.
Inconsistency has been the story of the season for Missouri, and it has been prevalent in conference play. Here are two takeaways from Missouri’s SEC performance thus far.
Beyond the arc
Arguably, all of Missouri’s losses this season have been as a result of the team’s inability to get things going on the offensive side of the ball, notably behind the three-point line. Three’s weren’t coined as one of the Tigers’ main strengths by any means, but a little more production from downtown would certainly help the offense from growing stagnant and jammed up, a common theme over the last few games.
Missouri is shooting 32.1% from the three-point line in conference play this season, good for 12th in the SEC. In losses, that number drops all the way to 27%. If not for graduate forward Jacob Crews, who leads the conference with a 46.1% three-point percentage, that number would be much lower. Missouri’s ability to hit threes allows downhill drivers like senior forward Mark Mitchell, sophomore guard T.O. Barrett and graduate guard Jayden Stone to excel and open up the strongest part of the Tiger offense. When the Tigers don’t pose a threat shooting, teams hone in on the rim, limiting players like Mitchell’s ability to impact the game. Whether it’s more schemed-up looks for players like Crews and junior forward Trent Pierce, or simply different lineups to get fewer non-shooting threats on the court at the same time, Missouri should look to shore up its shooting.
Three’s have also been essential for the Tigers’ success on the other side of the ball, or lack thereof. Out of 364 Division I teams this season, Missouri ranks 330th in opponent three-point percentage, as teams are shooting 36.4% on 26.7 attempts per game. Missouri is a rather big team by nature and has not performed well when forced into switch situations up top. The interior defense has been solid and forced many teams to fall back on shooting, but the problem is that it has not worked out in the Tigers’ favor in most cases. Again, it may be a lineup change, or it could simply reflect the Tigers’ defense at this point in the season.
New impacts
Missouri has gone through a number of lineup changes throughout this season. Some have been due to injuries, but most have been a result of tinkering by head coach Dennis Gates, trying to find a starting rotation that fits. 11 players have started a game for Missouri this season, and nine have started at least three games.
Mitchell and senior center Shawn Phillips Jr. have remained as steady starters throughout the year, but the backcourt has been a revolving door all year for the Tigers, providing an opportunity for some new faces to capitalize on the opportunities and take the reins.
That is exactly what Barrett has done as of late for Missouri, playing his way into the starting point guard role and becoming a reliable option for the otherwise unreliable Tigers. While not a flashy scorer with a plethora of moves, Barrett does the little things effectively. He plays good defense on the perimeter, manages the offense effectively, and has shown great ability to get downhill and finish at the rim. He has been a breath of fresh air for a Missouri team that sometimes looks out of control on the court, and has made himself into not just someone that should be out there, but someone that needs to be out there.
In three games as a starter, Barrett has dropped 21, 13 and 16 points, all either first or second on the team in scoring for that game and all matching or eclipsing his previous career-high of 13 points before becoming a starter. The sophomore has also been tied for the team lead in assists in two out of those three games, and led the team in steals twice. In a year where multiple Tigers have not met expectations, Barrett has exceeded his own, turning into a pleasant surprise and a growing bright spot for Missouri.
While Barrett has been the biggest up-and-comer for this Missouri team, he isn’t the only one who essentially forced themself into a bigger role this season. Crews and Stone both started the season as sparkplug bench options, but having now both started for long periods of time, are keys to the Tigers’ offensive success. Crews has increased his three-point percentage from 33.6% to 46.2% and his points per game from 5.6 to 10.8, growing his minutes dramatically from last season. Stone’s 14.6 points per game is second on the Tigers, as he’s blossomed into arguably Missouri’s only three-level scorer. After missing the entire 2024-25 season due to injury, Stone has come in and not missed a beat.
The story of Missouri’s season has been inconsistent, and that has been reflected in disappointing 2025-26 campaigns from numerous Tigers. However,t that inconsistency has provided some new faces opportunities to show up in a big way, keeping Missouri afloat in the SEC and clinging to NCAA Tournament hopes for the time being. Currently projected as one of the last four in, the Tigers need to finish out conference play strong to make it to the madness.
Missouri will head to a different Columbia to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks Saturday, Feb. 7, at noon. The Gamecocks are second-to-last in the SEC with a 2-7 conference record.
