Missouri men’s basketball unofficially kicked off its 2025-26 season with a 100-91 win over the Kansas State Wildcats in an exhibition game. From a high-powered offense to rising young stars, the hype around Mizzou’s season is higher than ever. However, junior guard Anthony Robinson II was the star who shone particularly bright.
In just 22 minutes, Robinson stacked up 16 points, four assists and two rebounds on a perfect 100% from the field and three.
The junior showed advancements in his shot creation ability, displaying the ability to create for himself out of isolation. There were multiple situations where the Tigers’ offense was stagnant in the half court, but were bailed out because of a Robinson bucket.
This was the first time that many fans got a glimpse at the development of the 20-year-old, but this improvement came as no surprise internally. Head coach Dennis Gates has consistently alluded to the maturity of Robinson, praising his willingness to be coached.
“Ant Robinson is a product of ‘there’s nothing he could do right his first year,’ right?” Gates said. “Ms. Robinson and Mr. Robinson allowed me to coach their son hard because we all met and I told them what the plan was.”
The most impressive part about Robinson’s performance was his commitment to the scheme. Despite handling a bigger offensive load than in his first two seasons, Robinson still held true to Gates’ core values. All of his shots came within game flow, and his main focus was to generate good looks. Robinson did not force the issue at all. Rather, he stuck to what worked and made plays when the time came.
Along with his impressive offensive performance, Robinson remained his usual self on the defensive side of the ball. He picked up full court, guarded the Wildcats’ best guards and remained attentive. Gates has often emphasized how impactful Robinson II is on the defensive end.
“Ant Robinson, preseason, in my mind, [SEC] Defensive Player of the Year,” Gates said.
It’s no secret that Gates values the defensive side of the ball, so it’s refreshing to see arguably his best player buy into it fully.
Gates has played a huge role in the development of Robinson, but that is not to take any credit away from the player himself. He came to Mizzou as a composite three-star recruit, without any expectations of leading Missouri on tournament runs. Now, Robinson has solidified himself as a force to be reckoned with and looks primed to lead the Tigers deep into postseason play.
