No. 22/24 University of Missouri men’s basketball hits the road looking to extend its four-game SEC winning streak when it plays at Texas. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. Tuesday night on SEC Network.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Mizzou owns a 15-3 overall record in 2024-25 and is second in SEC play with a 4-1 league mark.
• The Tigers are currently ranked No. 22 in the AP poll and No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• Mizzou has won its last four games and is coming off an 83-65 win over Arkansas on Saturday.
• Junior Mark Mitchell leads the Tigers with 13.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
• Overall, four Tigers score in double figures with Tamar Bates (12.9), Caleb Grill (12.5) and Anthony Robinson II (10.5) following Mitchell’s lead.
• Robinson is also first on the team with 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while Josh Gray is tied for the team lead with 4.9 boards.
• MU is 14th nationally with a scoring offense of 84.8 and 12th with a scoring margin of +15.8.
ABOUT THE LONGHORNS
• Texas is 12-6 on the season with a 1-4 conference record in its first year in the SEC.
• UT split a pair of road games last week, defeating Oklahoma, 77-73, and falling to Florida, 84-60.
• Tre Johnson leads Texas with 18.6 points, while Arthur Kaluma is second with 13.8 points to go with a team-leading 7.9 rebounds.
• Julian Larry has a team-best 3.8 assists per game.
• Texas averages 80.4 points with a scoring defense of 66.9 per game.
SERIES HISTORY
• Missouri and Texas are renewing their rivalry for the first time in 13 years as the two former Big 12 foes are meeting for the first time as SEC mates.
• The schools last met in the semifinals of the 2012 Big 12 Tournament with the Tigers earning an 81-67 victory en route to the title.
• Overall, Mizzou owns a slight 14-12 edge in the series – winning six of the last seven meetings.
• Texas did finish with an 11-9 advantage during the team’s Big 12 era.
MIZZOU’S BEST SEC START
• Playing in the nation’s toughest conference, the Tigers are off to a strong 4-1 start in SEC play.
• Now in its 13th season since joining the SEC, it marks the first time in Mizzou history the Tigers have started an SEC campaign with a 4-1 record.
• In addition, at 15-3, MU is off to its best overall start through 18 games since 2011-12 when it began the campaign with a 17-1 record.
WHAT’S NEXT
• The Tigers enter Tuesday’s game on a four-game winning streak in SEC play.
• If Mizzou defeats Texas, it will match its longest winning streak ever in SEC action – the 2017-18 Tigers won five-straight from Jan. 31 to Feb. 13.
TIGERS ENTER RANKINGS
• Thanks to its four-game SEC winning streak, Missouri entered the national rankings for the first time this season on Monday.
• The Tigers earned the No. 22 spot in the AP poll and No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
• It marks the first time the Tigers are ranked since placing No. 23/24 in the final poll of 2022-23.
EARLY LEADERS
• The Tigers have made a habit of starting games strong and playing from ahead in the second half.
• Mizzou has had at least a 10-point halftime lead in 13-of-18 games this season, outscoring foes by an average of 11.3 points (42.9 to 31.6).
• The Tigers have had a halftime lead in 15-of-18 games this season. MU is 14-1 with an advantage at the break and 1-2 when trailing.
PLAYING AHEAD DURING STREAK
• The strong starts have really been noticeable during the team’s four-game winning streak.
• The Tigers have led for 153:16 of a possible 160 minutes during the winning streak, while foes have led for only 2:18.
• In fact, MU has led for every second of the final 36 minutes during each game of the four-match run.
• Overall, Mizzou has outscored opponents by an average of 14.25 points in the first half during its winning streak, 46.25 to 32.0.
HOT FROM THREE
• The 3-point shot has keyed the Tigers’ four-game winning streak in SEC play.
• In its last four games, Mizzou has made at least 10 triples in each game, shooting 43.6 percent (44-101) during the span.
• It marks the first time that MU has made at least 10 triples in four-straight games since a five-game run during the 2017-18 campaign.
LET HIM GRILL
• Senior Caleb Grill has led the Tigers during their winning streak, earning SEC Player of the Week honors on Monday.
• In the last four games, Grill is tallying 15.5 points per game – shooting 60.0 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from 3-point range (14-27).
• The highlight of the four-game run for Grill was a 22-point, six 3-pointer performance in a win at No. 5 Florida on Jan. 14.
• Overall, Grill is averaging 12.5 points in 13 games, leading MU with 37 made triples (2.85 per game) and a 49.3 percent clip from beyond the arc.
