Missouri men’s basketball suffered arguably the most devastating loss of its 2025-26 campaign, dropping its first matchup in the Southeastern Conference Tournament 78-72 to the Kentucky Wildcats. The Tigers’ season has been riddled with ups and downs, ranging as high as upset victories over ranked schools and as low as blowout losses to below .500 opponents.
Now, as Missouri’s season nears its end, it is once again riding a cold stretch, dropping three consecutive games for the first time all season. The sunken valley stretch came right when the Tigers were in their most desperate stage, as the NCAA Tournament is mere days away.
Despite the rough stretch, the team and coaching staff remain in good spirits. Much of the locker room shares a common belief that their season isn’t quite over — they’re just awaiting results from games around the nation.
“Yeah, it’s out of our hands, out of our control,” said senior forward Mark Mitchell. “We played two really good teams — three really good teams — the last three games, ”So what happens, happens.”
Although Missouri hasn’t played its best basketball, it’s fair to say that Mitchell has found his groove, scoring 32 points in back-to-back games. However, the Tigers need more than just their senior captain to play well if they wish to make a playoff run.
Great teams are built on being well-balanced, something Missouri has struggled with all season. Graduate guard Jayden Stone is one of the many Tigers struggling to find their groove as of late, averaging 6.6 points per game on 30.6% shooting in the last five games. However, Stone believes he has what it takes to turn things around.
“Defensively, making sure I keep locked in on those things,” Stone said. “The minutes that you’re allocated, you just got to try and make the most of them.”
Flipping the script from the current losing formula is no easy task. It will take more than just players finding their rhythm as shooters and a more efficient scoring effort.
Junior guard Anthony Robinson II still has confidence in his teammates having what it takes to win any game.
“Being down in situations and knowing we just can fight back,” Robinson said. “That just tells us our fight and how we need to start the game off and just try to climb back into every game”
A message that has been spread across the locker room: win, lose or draw, the Tigers aren’t going down without a fight. Missouri will now await its seeding revelation at 5 p.m. Sunday, when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee reveals which teams will go dancing in March.
