No. 14 Mizzou basketball aims to dispel ‘Memorial Magic’ in rematch with Vanderbilt

Mizzou men’s basketball will attempt to thwart the fabled “Memorial Magic” when the Tigers take the court against Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. Central Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville.

The Commodores (19-9, 7-8 Southeastern Conference) enter the bout following consecutive ranked wins over then-No. 24 Ole Miss and No. 12 Texas A&M.

Vanderbilt successfully defended home court against the Rebels, defeating them 77-72 on Feb. 22. Graduate guard Chris Manon had 16 points and seven rebounds for the Commodores. Junior guards Jason Edwards and Devin McGlockton added 15 and 10 points, respectively.

Vanderbilt continued the string of upsets by further derailing the skidding Aggies 86-84 on Wednesday at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas. Junior guard Tyler Nickel scored 21 points, shooting 7-for-10 from 3-point range in the upset. The seven made 3-pointers marked a career best for the Harrisonburg, Virginia, product.

The triumphs over the two ranked SEC foes further added to the Commodores’ impressive 2024-25 resume.

The magic of Vanderbilt’s home-court advantage struck early in conference play, as the Commodores secured a 76-75 win over then-No. 6 Tennessee and 74-69 victory against then-No. 9 Kentucky.

With those upsets under the Commodores’ belt, they currently sit as a No. 10 seed in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology.

Vanderbilt crossed paths with Mizzou (21-7, 10-5) earlier in the league schedule, with the Tigers protecting their home floor in a 75-66 win over the Commodores on Jan. 11 at Mizzou Arena.

Junior wing Mark Mitchell scored a team-high 19 points, joining sophomore guard Anthony Robinson II (15), graduate guard Caleb Grill (13) and senior guard Tamar Bates (12) in double figures.

The Tigers eked out a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, dishing out 15 dimes and succumbing to 14 turnovers. The Columbia squad also won the rebounding battle 33-29.

“Rule No. 1 is taking care of the basketball,” MU coach Dennis Gates said in a news conference Thursday. “We’ve got to do a better job at drawing fouls and not giving up foul shots, with still understanding that Vandy may shoot more free throws than us. But if we can keep the deviation of that close, we will be OK.”

Vanderbilt junior guard Jason Edwards scored a game-high 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting in the loss to MU.

“Jason Edwards is an unbelievable college player who’s averaging 17 (points per game),” Gates said. “But they have experience, they have toughness, they have defensive prowess. They’re quick with their hands, and coach (Mark) Byington has done a great job.”

The clash will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Logistical challenges of Memorial Gymnasium

Memorial Gymnasium poses interesting threats to the visiting team due to the way it is structured.

The court is elevated above the crowd and the benches are situated on each baseline, rather than on one sideline.

Gates talked about this challenge on the final “Tiger Talk” live episode of the season from Harpo’s on Wednesday in Columbia.

The third-year Mizzou coach prefers to stand alone at half court for the entire game against Vanderbilt, while his coaching staff will be with players on the baseline.

“I may need a secret service earpiece to talk to my staff during the game,” Gates said. “We have great communication, and we do a lot of nonverbal communication as well. When you have a player-led team, you’re able to connect in a way that you need to.”

In the news conference Thursday, Gates expanded on the challenges the unique arena poses.

“The difference is not (just) the layout of the benches, but obviously the layout of their fans. Their fans are in the seats,” Gates said. “That can give you more of an advantage than any benches moving to the sides or the baseline and et cetera. It’s a tough place to play.”

No decision made on Trent Burns’ redshirt

Mizzou freshman Trent Burns has yet to make a regular-season appearance for the Tigers this season after suffering an illness and a right foot injury.

Two hours before Missouri’s game against South Carolina on Tuesday, the 7-foot-5 center was upgraded to a game-time decision for the first time in league play.

If Burns plays in a game for the Tigers this season, he will forgo a redshirt season, meaning he will lose the opportunity to gain an extra year of eligibility due to injury.

“I’ve never used the word ‘redshirt’ with him because I don’t want to stifle a young man’s growth in the moment where he sees himself potentially fitting in, while we are taking our doctors’ and trainers’ orders on his situation,” Gates said. “There’s a lot of components adding to it: the timing, increasing practice reps and now where (he’ll) be as it relates to inserting in a game.”

Jacob Crews eligible for sixth year of college hoops

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors signed off on a blanket waiver that granted an extra year of eligibility to certain junior college transfers Dec. 23, as a result of a court ruling involving Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia.

According to an NCAA memo, student-athletes who “competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years” will be approved for an additional year of eligibility pertaining to the 2025-26 season. The waiver is only relevant to athletes who would have been in their final year of eligibility in the 2024-25 season.

Mizzou’s Jacob Crews transferred in the offseason from UT Martin; however, the graduate forward played at the NJCAA’s Daytona State in the 2022-23 season. With the Falcons, Crews was named to the second-team NJCAA All-America honors squad and earned the Central Conference Player of the Year award, averaging 19.9 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Crews transferred to the junior college after spending two seasons at North Florida (2020-22).

“Jacob Crews is a young man that will have an extra year of eligibility,” Gates said. “It’s one of those things where, no different than guys have to be able to announce going to the pros, we’re not going to cover those communications because, again, we want to stay where our two feet are.”

Gates also stated that the decision for Crews to return for a sixth season of college basketball would be one made after the season.

“He’s a husband. (He has a) family, unbelievable wife and child. What’s going to be best for his future?” Gates said. “We’ll get with his representation, have a group family meeting and we’ll talk about that in the (offseason) to see what’s best.”

Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian

This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 5:45 AM with the headline "No. 14 Mizzou basketball aims to dispel ‘Memorial Magic’ in rematch with Vanderbilt."