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Men's Basketball

Men's Basketball Hosts Florida in SEC Opener Saturday

The Mizzou men's basketball team begins its quest for a conference title on Saturday, hosting No. 22 Florida in its SEC opener at Mizzou Arena. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

Missouri (10-3, 0-0 SEC) vs. Florida (9-4, 0-0 SEC)
Game Details Saturday, Jan. 3 • 7:30 p.m. • Columbia, Mo. • Mizzou Arena | Gameday Info
Television SEC Network
Radio Tiger Radio Network | Sirius XM: 374 | Sirius XM App: 374
Game Notes Missouri | Florida
Game Coverage Live Stats | Twitter: @MizzouHoops | Instagram: @MizzouHoops
Tickets Ticketmaster | 4 for $40 Ticket Promotion | 1-800-CAT-PAWS

The Mizzou men's basketball team begins its quest for a conference title on Saturday, hosting No. 22 Florida in its SEC opener at Mizzou Arena. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network.
 
PROMOTIONS
• Fans can celebrate the New Year with a special ticket promotion for the SEC opener, locking in four seats for $40 (CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE).
 
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Mizzou enters SEC play with a 10-3 overall mark.
• The Tigers are in action for the first time in 12 days and are coming off a setback to No. 20 Illinois on Dec. 22.
• Senior Mark Mitchell leads the Tigers with 17.2 points and 5.8 rebounds, while ranking second with 2.9 assists per game.
Jacob Crews and Anthony Robinson II follow with 13.9 and 10.9 points, respectively.
Jayden Stone also scores in double figures with 13.3 points and is expected to return after missing the last seven games with a hand injury.
• Robinson also leads Mizzou with 3.4 assists, while Shawn Phillips Jr. has a team-best 1.5 blocks.
• The Tigers are averaging 83.8 points per game in 2025-26, while allowing 71.5.
 
ABOUT THE GATORS
• The preseason SEC favorite, the Gators enter conference play with a 9-4 record.
• The Gators have won their last four contests and are ranked No. 22 in both national polls.
• Thomas Haugh leads five scores in double figures as he is averaging 16.7 points per game.
• Alex Condon is second with 14.3 points to go with a team-leading 3.7 assists.
• Rueben Chinyelu has a team-best 10.9 rebounds.
• The Gators are averaging 85.1 points per game, while allowing 70.4 in non-conference action.  
 
SERIES HISTORY
• The teams have met on 17 previous occasions with Florida holding an 12-5 advantage over Mizzou and a 4-3 edge in Columbia.
• Last season, the schools split a pair of games. The Tigers handed the Gators their lone home loss of the season, 83-82, before Florida won in the SEC Tournament, 95-81.
• The win for Mizzou marked the first time the Tigers defeated the eventual national champions since 1983 (NC State).
 
MIZZOU IN SEC OPENERS
• The Tigers are set to begin their 14th season of play in the SEC on Saturday.
• Missouri is 4-9 in its conference opener since joining the league, including a 3-5 record when opening at home.
• Last season, the Tigers lost at No. 2 Auburn to open league play. Mizzou last won its conference opener during the 2022-23 season – defeating No. 19 Kentucky, 89-75, at Mizzou Arena.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
• The Tigers will be happy to be opening SEC play in the friendly confines of Mizzou Arena.
• Mizzou is 9-0 this season at home, compared to a 1-3 mark away from Mizzou Arena.
• The team's shooting is the most noticeable difference as the Tigers are averaging 91.3 points on 56.6 percent shooting.
 
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
• Overall, the Tigers own one of the top home-court advantages in the country over the last two seasons.
• Since the beginning of the 2024-25 season, the Tigers are 27-2 at Mizzou Arena and 5-13 away from Columbia.
• Mizzou's 27 home wins during the last two years are the second-most in the nation, behind only George Mason with 28.
 
THE CREWS MISSILE
• Graduate student Jacob Crews has been one of the top shooters nationally this season.
• Crews leads the Tigers with 38 made 3-pointers and a clip of 51.4 percent from beyond the arc.
• He currently ranks fourth in the nation in 3-point percentage and 57th with 2.92 triples per game.
• Crews has made at least three triples in eight of the last 10 games - he did so only four times in his first 36 contests a Tiger prior to the current 10-game run.
 
MR. VERSATILE, MARK MITCHELL
Mark Mitchell has led the charge for Mizzou and has started the season on an elite level.
• Mitchell is averaging a team-best 17.2 points and 5.8 boards, while ranking second with 2.9 assists.
• In fact, he is the only player in the SEC to have totaled 200 points, 75 rebounds and 35 assists so far this season.
 
TOP SCORER
• While Mark Mitchell can do it all, he's still best known for his scoring ability.
• Mitchell leads Missouri with 17.2 points, ranking eighth in the SEC and 109th in the nation.
• In addition, Mitchell's 17.2 average is the highest by a Tiger through the season's first 13 games since Jordan Clarkson (19.3) and Jabari Brown (18.4) in 2013-14.