Mizzou Basketball, coming off two straight losses, played host to the Kentucky Wildcats for the conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season.
To begin the game, both teams struggled to put points on the board, with just 21 total points scored in the first 10 minutes. From that point on, Kentucky started pouring in threes, building a comfortable lead in the first half.
After the 10-minute mark, the Wildcats went on to score 28 points to close out the half.
The Tigers, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to get any great looks at the rim, relying heavily on Mark Mitchell to carry much of the offensive load.
In the last month, Mark Mitchell has been the go-to guy for the Tiger offense, and this afternoon was no different as he led the Tigers with 22 points. Whenever the offense went cold, it was always Mitchell who sparked the Tigers and brought them back into the game.
Despite Mitchell’s 22 points, the main focal point of the game was how Kentucky steamrolled through the Tigers' defense, getting seemingly any shot they wanted at will.
Kentucky’s Kobe Brea was a prime example of this throughout the first half, leading the Wildcats with 11 points at halftime. He was perfect from beyond the arc, hitting all three of his attempts in the opening half as he created shots for himself. Kentucky led by 9 at the break.
The dominance on the offensive side continued for the Wildcats as they quickly extended their lead to 16 points, while the Tigers struggled to get stops.
Despite closing the Wildcat lead to just 5 points, the Tigers couldn’t stop Kentucky's offense and ultimately fell 91-83.
In Mizzou’s previous game against Oklahoma, the defensive side of the ball was a major concern, as the Sooners were scoring at will. The same issue persisted in the loss to Kentucky.
With the loss, the Tigers will enter the SEC Tournament with a 10-8 SEC record. At the same time, they have gone cold, losing 4 of their last 5 games.