Mizzou Basketball Forced Back to the Drawing Board Following Loss at Texas

Missouri head coach Dennis Gates and his team have struggled on the road this season, with all five of their losses coming away from home.

Although the Texas Longhorns are a strong program and competitive in the SEC, Mizzou struggled to compete from the start and had trouble keeping up with the home team.

Offensively, not much went well for Mizzou. No player stood out with an exceptional performance, and the team struggled with shooting efficiency.

Senior Tamar Bates led the team with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting but failed to connect on a three-pointer during the game. He had some key moments, particularly late in the contest, as he attempted to shift the momentum away from the home crowd.

Mark Mitchell and Caleb Grill, typically two of the team’s top scorers, had quiet performances. Mitchell struggled from the floor, shooting 1-of-7 and finishing with seven points, six rebounds, and three turnovers. He also failed to connect on a three-pointer.

Caleb Grill, known as the team's deep-range threat off the bench this season, managed just six points on 1-of-6 shooting, with all but one attempt coming from beyond the arc.

Nearly every player who saw playing time also committed a turnover, highlighting the team’s inability to find any offensive rhythm.

The shooting numbers were among the worst of the season. The team made just one three-pointer in the first half and four overall, finishing at 22% from beyond the arc. Even worse, they connected on a season-low 15 field goals, shooting just 31% for the game.

The Texas defense was outstanding, consistently disrupting any offensive plans the Tigers might have had. Beyond that, no player appeared fully engaged or energized during Tuesday night’s game.

Scoring struggles extended across the perimeter, inside, and even in the paint—a surprising downturn for a Mizzou team that has been among the NCAA’s best in that area this season.

The Tiger defense wasn’t terrible; while it needs improvement, it did manage to hold a high-powered Texas offense to just 61 points. If Mizzou’s offense had performed even half as well as it has throughout the season, they might have escaped with a win.

Defensively, Mizzou limited the Longhorns to just two players scoring in double figures, neither of whom shot efficiently. Texas’ box score wasn’t much different from the Tigers’, as they also made just four three-pointers and only two more field goals overall than Mizzou.

Both teams struggled at the free-throw line, with Mizzou missing eight and Texas missing seven. Points in the paint and bench scoring were also identical, reflecting how evenly matched the teams were. However, the Longhorns capitalized on key moments, using their home-court advantage to edge out the Tigers.

Both teams held the lead for similar durations and were tied several times throughout the game. While the Tigers were outrebounded, their assist, steal, and turnover numbers closely mirrored those of the Longhorns, further showcasing how evenly matched the contest was.

Despite the evenly matched play, it didn’t matter in the end, as the Longhorns walked away with a 61-53 victory after 40 minutes of hard-fought basketball. It was an upsetting and gutting loss for a Mizzou program that has worked tirelessly this season to restore its former glory.

Overall, Mizzou played down to the level of a program they have already proven themselves to be better than. It’s a particularly disappointing loss, especially coming on the heels of being named the No. 22 ranked team in the nation—their first Top 25 ranking in over two years.

Mizzou didn’t play anything like a top-ranked program last night and now heads back home, refocusing on their next contest, which looms even larger in importance following their disappointing loss.

The Tigers will look for a strong response on Saturday evening as they host the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels in a highly anticipated matchup.

The Tigers' next four games, including Saturday's matchup against No. 16 Ole Miss, are all against top-ranked teams within the SEC. This challenging stretch provides plenty of opportunities for Mizzou to make a statement and solidify their standing in the conference.