Missouri Tigers hoops welcomes 10 NCAA tourney teams for 1st time: schedule update
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- Mizzou schedules 10 NCAA tourney teams at home, a first in school history.
- Tigers face 19 total tournament opponents in 31 games for 2025-26 season.
- SEC play includes matchups with Florida, Auburn, Texas, and Kentucky on road.
The Missouri Tigers men’s basketball team will play host to a program-record 10 opponents that were NCAA Tournament participants last season.
That’s just one of several interesting aspects of the Dennis Gates-coached Tigers’ 2025-26 schedule. The lineup of upcoming games, including SEC and non-conference opponents, was unveiled by the university on Wednesday.
In all, the Tigers will play 19 of 31 scheduled games against teams that made the tourney this spring.
Mizzou’s previous high for home games against teams that advanced to the most recent NCAA Tournament was nine, in 1998-99. Those games were played at the Hearnes Center.
MU’s 2025-26 schedule begins with a road game at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Nov. 3. That’s the Tigers’ earliest season opener in school history.
Missouri’s home opener is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 7 against Southeast Missouri. A succession of six more home games follows: VMI (Nov. 9); Minnesota (Nov. 12); Prairie View A&M (Nov. 17); South Dakota (Nov. 20); South Carolina State (Nov. 25); and Cleveland State (Nov. 28).
Other highlights of the Tigers’ upcoming slate include an ACC/SEC Challenge showdown with Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on Dec. 2; the Border War matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City; and the annual Braggin’ Rights game against Illinois on Dec. 22 in St. Louis.
Once Southeastern Conference play begins in the new year, the Tigers will take on a lineup of formidable foes — the SEC sent a record 14 teams to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Mizzou plays three schools both home and away, in Arkansas, Mississippi State and Oklahoma. The Tigers also play host to defending national champion Florida, Final Four participant Auburn and four other opponents (Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Vanderbilt) that received tourney bids.
The Tigers’ road-only SEC opponents for 2025-26 are Alabama, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Texas A&M.
MIZZOU 2025-26 NON-CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
As of June 18, 2025
Nov. 3: at Howard, Washington, D.C.
Nov. 7: vs. Southeast Missouri, Mizzou Arena
Nov. 9: vs. VMI, Mizzou Arena
Nov. 12: vs. Minnesota, Mizzou Arena
Nov. 17: vs. Prairie View A&M, Mizzou Arena
Nov. 20: vs. South Dakota, Mizzou Arena
Nov. 25: vs. South Carolina St., Mizzou Arena
Nov. 28: vs. Cleveland State, Mizzou Arena
Dec. 2: at Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.
Dec. 7: vs. Kansas, in Kansas City (T-Mobile Center)
Dec. 11: vs. Alabama State, Mizzou Arena
Dec. 14: vs. Bethune Cookman, Mizzou Arena
Dec. 22: vs. Illinois (Braggin’ Rights), St. Louis
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 10:44 AM.