Here are the top 10 Missouri basketball games of the decade
The first five
No. 12 Missouri 82, No. 10 Illinois 73, Dec. 22, 2012
Some of the best games of the decade happened in this rivalry, but none better than the 2012 meeting between two of the best 12 teams in the country. This game brought to us the third-consecutive matchup of ranked teams in the Braggin’ Rights game. It was Jabari Brown’s first game with the Tigers, as the Oregon transfer sat out the first semester. He had 18 points and 12 rebounds as Mizzou handed Illinois its first loss of the season.
No. 15 Missouri 85, Vanderbilt 82, Dec. 9, 2010
This game was entertaining to say the least. Missouri nearly lost this game before the heroics of Marcus Denmon. Playing a day after the death of his cousin, Denmon lifted Missouri past its future conference foe with 21 points after halftime, including a three-point play off a steal in the final seconds to close out the contest.
Missouri 86, Auburn 83, March 8, 2017
Auburn wasn’t the Auburn team it has been the past few years, but it was the beginning of a future great Tigers team. Meanwhile, Mizzou was on the verge of firing its head coach and moving on to greater things. Still, the Tigers handed Auburn a first-round tournament exit in overtime with one of the finest 3-pointers of the decade, a walk-off basket from Kansas City native Kevin Puryear. Kim Anderson’s final win was a great memory even though the teams were forgettable. The Tigers came back from 10 down, days after closing out the regular season with a loss to Auburn.
No. 21 Missouri 92, No. 20 California 53, Nov. 22, 2011
The rout of Cal in Kansas City set the tone for what lied ahead for the 2011-12 Missouri basketball team. The Tigers just thumped Notre Dame by 29 points the night before and the CBE Classic title game was supposed to gives Mizzou more of a challenge. It did not. Mizzou won by 39 points against one of the better Pac 10 teams that season.
Missouri 63, No. 5 Florida 60, Feb. 19, 2013
Mizzou staged a second-half rally that saw the Tigers erase a 13-point deficit to down the top-five Gators. Lawrence Bowers nailed a go-ahead elbow shot at the 1:15 mark, and Mizzou left Mizzou Arena victors. The win all but assured the Tigers were going back to the NCAA Tournament. And it was even better as just one month before, Florida dominated a ranked Tigers team with a 31-point victory.