Missouri men’s basketball resurrected its postseason hopes after a career night from the once bench-riding sophomore guard T.O. Barrett en route to their 73-69 victory over the No. 22-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.
The Tigers opened the half with one of their worst starts to a game in the 2025-26 season, as a collection of defensive lapses and sloppy offensive play saw them trailing 12-2 just three minutes into the contest. A huge factor behind Tennessee’s hot start was its activity on the offensive glass, snagging six offensive boards through the first 10 minutes of the game.
However, Missouri recovered from its rocky start and began picking things up on the defensive end, specifically where it forced eight first-half turnovers. The Tigers channeled their defensive energy into a balanced offensive attack, surging down the stretch and shaving a once double-digit lead all the way down to three points heading into the break.
Missouri got off to a hot start in the second half, led by senior forward Mark Mitchell, who logged 12 points through the first 10 minutes of the second period. However, the Tigers couldn’t keep Tennessee’s senior big man Felix Okpara away from the rim, as his interior presence was enough to keep the Volunteers well within reach, trailing 50-45 halfway through the second.
The driving force for the Tigers late game success was the play of Barrett, who logged 16 second-half points. His impressive play, coupled with a pair of threes by junior guard Anthony Robinson II and the interior dominance from Mitchell, was enough for Missouri to sneak out its 15th home win of the season.
Barrett and Mitchell stole the show for the Tigers, combining for 51 of the team’s 73 points. The pairing provided constant rim pressure and downhill playmaking, giving Missouri the offensive spark it needed to pull out the victory.
Despite falling short in the end, Tennessee’s starters put up quite the effort, contributing to all but five of the team’s total points. However, turnover issues plagued the Volunteers’ guards, as all but two of Tennessee’s players recorded a turnover. Head coach Rick Barnes spoke on that issue postgame.
“I think every guard in the game had a turnover,” Barnes said. “And that’s a problem, you know?”
On the other hand, Missouri head coach Dennis Gates was thrilled with his team’s defensive performance.
“I think our guys played with an amount of anticipation,” Gates said. “They were able, and they were detailed out of timeouts to be able to recognize the alignments, recognize the sets and that’s what helped.”
Missouri is back in action Saturday, hitting the road to take on Mississippi State at noon in Starkville.
