Coming off a crushing loss at Texas earlier in the week, the No. 22 Missouri Tigers hosted a tough Ole Miss team on Saturday evening.
To start the game, it was all Ole Miss, as the Rebels jumped out to an 8-0 lead within the first 2 minutes, and it looked like things could get away from the Tigers quickly.
Despite Ole Miss' hot start, Tamar Bates led the early offensive surge for Mizzou as they responded with a 12-0 run. Bates knocked down 2 threes as part of the run and scored 10 of the Tigers' first 12 points. From that point on, Mizzou never lost control of the game.
Looking at Bates' performances in the wins over Florida and Arkansas last week, the narrative that he gets the offense going has proven true for the Missouri Tigers. He has been the go-to guy for head coach Dennis Gates, especially in the first half of games.
Despite the trend of Tamar leading the charge early for Mizzou, he has scored just 8 total points in the second half of the Tigers' last three games — against Florida, Arkansas, and Texas.
In a strong opening half for the Tigers, Bates finished with 12 points as Mizzou held a 7-point lead at the break.
Looking at recent matches for Mizzou, a prediction that Bates would slow down in the second half made sense. However, Tamar shut down any thought of that as he poured in another 14 points, bringing his total to 26 on the night in what was a crucial win for the Tigers.
Bates' 26 points on the night were his second-highest outing of the season. The only time he scored more was against No. 1-ranked Kansas, where he dropped 29 points in the historic win.
Bates has been the leading scorer for the Tigers, and his outing against Ole Miss was the epitome of how this season has gone for Mizzou, which stands at an impressive 16-4. Last night, he and Caleb Grill led the charge, combining for 51 points in the win.