Fans can get their first look at the 2026-27 Mizzou men's basketball team as the Tigers take on long-time rival Kansas State in an exhibition game on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Missouri finished the 2025-26 season with an overall record of 20-13 and an SEC mark of 10-8.
• The Tigers earned their third NCAA Tournament bid in four years under Dennis Gates, falling to Miami in the first round.
• All-SEC performer Mark Mitchell is the team's lone returning starter from last season. Mitchell led Mizzou with 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists during the 2025-26 campaign.
 
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
• Casey Alexander is in his first season as head coach at Kansas State after leading Belmont to a 26-6 overall record last season.
• Alexander joins a program that posted a 12-20 record in 2025-26 and welcomes 14 new players to the roster this season.
• The Wildcats were slated to finish 14th in the preseason Big 12 Coaches' Poll.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1906, KSU holds a slight edge in the all-time series, 121-116.
• The 237 all-time regular-season meetings is tied for MU's second-most played rivalry in its history.
 
2025 EXHIBITION RECAP
• The schools are meeting for the second-straight year to open the season in an exhibition game.
• Last season, the Tigers earned a 100-91 victory at Mizzou Arena.
• A 14-0 run midway through the first half gave the Tigers the lead for good, leading by as many as 19 before the final nine-point margin.
• Four Tigers scored in double figures – Anthony Robinson II (16), Jayden Stone (16), Annor Boateng (15) and Shawn Phillips Jr. (14).
• Overall, 12 Tigers saw action in last year's game with all playing at least 10 minutes and none more than 23.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
• The 2026-27 campaign is a highly-anticipated season for Tigers fans.
• In early preseason polls, MU is ranked as high as No. 14 in the Blue Ribbon Yearbook Top 25, while also placing No. 16 in ESPN's preseason rankings.
• In the preseason AP poll, the Tigers are top team receiving votes with 167 points.
• The 167 points are the Tigers' most in the preseason poll since collecting 664 as the nation's No. 15 team in 2012.
• Mizzou also received 60 points in the coaches' poll and is the third highest team receiving votes.
 
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
• The Tigers are building under head coach Dennis Gates as he re-establishes the team on the national level.
• Mizzou has made the NCAA Tournament in the last two seasons – its first time making back-to-back since a five-year run from 2009 to 2013.
• Additionally, MU has won double-digit SEC games in each of the last two campaigns – a first for the team since joining the conference in 2012.
 
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
• The Tigers are set to face one of the nation's top schedules in 2026-27.
• Mizzou is slated to play 11 games against teams ranked in the preseason AP poll – tied for the most in the country with Arizona.
• In non-conference, MU faces No. 3 Illinois and No. 17 Kansas in addition to teams receiving votes in Nebraska, Saint Louis, Indiana and Marquette.
 
ALL-AROUND LEADER IN MITCHELL
• The team's top returner for 2026-27 is All-SEC performer Mark Mitchell.
• Last season, Mitchell led the Tigers in scoring (18.3), rebounds (5.2) and assists (3.6).
• He became just the second player in program history to lead Mizzou in all three categories, joining Albert White in 1998-99.
 
VERSATILITY ON DISPLAY
• Mark Mitchell and his all-around game were also evident nationally last season.
• Mitchell finished as just one of eight players in the country to total 600 points, 170 rebounds and 110 assists in 2025-26.
 
FOUR-YEAR LEADER IN PIERCE
• Another returner the Tigers are looking forward to this season is fourth-year senior Trent Pierce.
• A rare four-year player to only suit up for only one team, Pierce is one of just 17 players from a power-conference school to play all four years with one team (minimum 50 games played).
• The Tigers played their best basketball last year after Pierce returned from a preseason injury. He averaged 10.4 points in 20 games played, making 38.4 percent of his 3-point attempts.
 
HIGH-RANKED NEWCOMERS
• The Tigers are set to have an updated look in 2026-27 and welcome a number of high-ranked newcomers to the roster.
• Mizzou officially welcomes the nation's No. 8 freshman class and the No. 17 transfer class to this year's roster.
• The Tigers are one of seven teams to own both a top-20 freshman and transfer class.