Missouri men’s basketball didn’t waste a second asserting control on Friday afternoon, opening the game on a dominant 23–0 run and cruising to an 86–59 win over Cleveland State at Mizzou Arena. The wire-to-wire victory keeps the Tigers perfect at 8–0 in the 2025–26 season.
Missouri overwhelmed Cleveland State from the opening tip, hitting seven of its first nine shots while holding the Vikings to 0-for-11 shooting and forcing seven turnovers before CSU could score. Mizzou led by as many as 23 in the opening frame and closed the half on a 6–0 burst to take a commanding 46–24 lead into the locker room.
Senior forward Jacob Crews delivered his second 20-point outing of the year, finishing with 20 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and a pair of defensive plays—one steal and one block. Mark Mitchell continued his dominant start to the season, his seventh-straight double-digit performance and added a game-high four assists.
Mizzou shot 47.8% from the field and a blistering 72.4% (21–of–29) inside the arc. The Tigers punished Cleveland State in the paint, posting a 40–18 scoring edge, and dominated the offensive glass, resulting in a 20–5 second-chance advantage.
That's what November has been for Mizzou basketball: dominant. The schedule stiffens quickly. Missouri heads to Notre Dame on Tuesday for an ACC/SEC Challenge matchup. From there, the Tigers enter a pivotal stretch: Kansas in KC five days after, and the annual Braggin' Rights matchup against Illinois fifteen days post Border War. 15 days after the
Not including the Tigers' pair of home games against Alabama State and Bethune-Cookman in between, the challenge of getting to March Madness will increase for Gate's squad. Mizzou has breezed through November. December will reveal just how high this team’s ceiling might be.