University of Missouri
Kentucky
Men's Basketball Squares Off at Kentucky Wednesday
1/6/2026 11:05:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| Missouri (11-3, 1-0 SEC) at Kentucky (9-5, 0-1 SEC) | |
| Game Details | Wednesday, Jan. 7 • 6 p.m. CT • Lexington, Ky. • Rupp Arena |
| Television | ESPN2 |
| Radio | Tiger Radio Network | Sirius XM: 381 | Sirius XM App: 971 |
| Game Notes | Missouri | Kentucky |
| Game Coverage | Live Stats | Twitter: @MizzouHoops | Instagram: @MizzouHoops |
Fresh off a win in its SEC opener, the Mizzou men's basketball team looks to make it two in a row when it plays at Kentucky on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Mizzou owns an 11-3 record during the 2025-26 campaign, winning its SEC opener on Saturday with a 76-74 victory over No. 22 Florida.
• Anthony Robinson II led the Tigers in the win over the Gators with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
• The Tigers were also aided by the return of Trent Pierce (10 points) and Jayden Stone (nine points) to the lineup on Saturday.
• Overall, senior Mark Mitchell leads the Tigers with 16.9 points and 5.4 rebounds this season, while ranking second with 2.9 assists per game.
• Jacob Crews (13.9), Stone (12.7) and Robinson (11.5) follow Mitchell's lead and score in double figures.
• Robinson also leads Mizzou with 3.5 assists, while Shawn Phillips Jr. has a team-best 1.4 blocks.
• The Tigers are averaging 83.2 points per game in 2025-26, while allowing 71.6.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
• Kentucky, who is receiving votes in both national polls, is 9-5 this season.
• The Wildcats lost their SEC opener at Alabama on Saturday, 89-74, ending a four-game winning streak.
• SEC Preseason Player of the Year, Otega Oweh leads UK with 14.7 points per game.
• Mouhamed Dioubate is second with 11.6 points to go with a team-leading 6.6 rebounds, while Denzel Aberdeen is third with 11.3 points and a team-best 3.1 assists.
• The Wildcats average 84.1 points this season and allow 69.3 points per game.
SERIES HISTORY
• Kentucky owns a 16-3 edge in series history over the Tigers, dating back to 1960.
• The series has been dominated by the home team as of late with the hosts winning seven of the last nine contests. The Tigers have never won in Lexington with a 0-9 record on the road.
• Last season, the schools met in the season finale with No. 19 Kentucky posting a 91-83 win over the No. 15 Tigers.
TIGERS AIM FOR FIRST 2-0 START
• In their 14th season of play in the SEC, the Tigers are aiming to do something they have never done before on Wednesday – starting 2-0.
• With its win on Saturday, Mizzou improved to 5-9 all-time in its SEC opener.
• The Tigers have followed up with a 0-4 record in their second league game after winning their first SEC contest of the season.
• Mizzou last started a conference season with a 2-0 record in 2009-10 as a member of the Big 12.
AGAINST THE BEST
• Not only is Mizzou aiming for a rare 2-0 league start but to make it even more impressive, they are trying to do it against the top two teams in the SEC Preseason Poll.
• Florida was named the preseason favorite prior to the year with Kentucky ranked second.
• Only twice in 13 years has MU defeated the top two teams in the poll – 2021 (Tennessee and Kentucky) and 2023 (Kentucky and Arkansas).
ROBINSON FINDING HIS RHYTHM
• Junior Anthony Robinson II has played his best basketball as of late and is starting to find his offensive rhythm this season.
• In the last four games, Robinson is averaging 16.3 points and 4.3 assists – more than tripling his scoring output from the prior four contests.
• Overall, Robinson is scoring 11.5 points this year and leads Mizzou with 3.5 assists.
• The junior has also recorded at least five assists in six contests, including four of the last five games.
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 50.7 percent from beyond the arc.
• He currently ranks third in the nation in 3-point percentage and 83rd with 2.71 triples per game.
• More than just a 3-point shooter, Crews scored 13 points on 2-of-3 shooting with a season-best 9-of-10 from the charity stripe on Saturday.
• Overall, Crews is averaging 13.9 points this year.
WELCOME BACK TRENT AND JAYDEN
• The Tigers welcomed back a pair of key players during Saturday's win over Florida.
• Junior Trent Pierce and graduate student Jayden Stone were back in the lineup after missing significant time with injury.
• A starter last season, Pierce missed the first 13 games of the season. He tallied 10 points – including five on back-to-back possessions late to give MU the lead for good.
• Stone added nine points in his first start of the year and ranks third on Mizzou with 12.7 points.
MAGIC NUMBER IS 75
• The goal on the offensive end for the Tigers this season is to score 75 points.
• Mizzou is a perfect 11-0 when tallying at least 75 points but are 0-3 when failing to reach the mark.
• Overall, the Tigers are averaging 83.3 points during the 2025-26 season.
