Mizzou to open 2025-26 SEC schedule by hosting defending national champ Florida
Mizzou men’s basketball will get an early taste of NCAA Tournament-caliber competition to open its SEC slate.
The Tigers will host defending national champion Florida in their Southeastern Conference opener Jan. 3 at Mizzou Arena, as the league revealed its 2025-26 conference schedule Wednesday.
In Mizzou’s last regular-season matchup against the Gators, the Tigers secured an 83-82 win over then-No. 5 Florida, which served as MU’s first road win of the season and its first away victory over an AP-ranked top-5 team since defeating No. 3 Baylor 89-88 on Jan. 21, 2012, in Waco, Texas.
Mizzou and Florida met again in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on March 14, 2025, in Nashville, where the Tigers fell 95-81. Mark Mitchell was sidelined for that game due to a right knee injury.
Although the full league schedule was revealed, Missouri had previously learned its SEC opponents alongside its nonconference schedule release June 18.
Mizzou’s conference slate features a home-and-away series against Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi State. The Razorbacks and Sooners are the Tigers’ permanent opponents, meaning they play twice a season. The third home-and-away opponent changes every season. In 2026, the Bulldogs will take the spot Vanderbilt held last year.
After playing the Gators, the Tigers will embark on a two-game road trip against Kentucky on either Jan. 6 or 7 in Lexington, Kentucky, and Ole Miss on Jan. 10 in Oxford, Mississippi.
Mizzou’s 91-83 loss to the Wildcats in its regular-season finale March 8, 2025, eliminated the Tigers from double-bye contention for the SEC Tournament. The Tigers’ 83-75 win over the Rebels on Jan. 25, 2025, helped them move up two spots to No. 20 in the Week 13 AP Top 25 poll.
Mizzou will return home to host SEC titan Auburn on either Jan. 13 or 14. The orange-and-blue Tigers finished the 2024-25 campaign with a league-leading 15-3 SEC record, including an 84-68 conference-opening win against Missouri on Jan. 4, 2025, in Auburn, Alabama. The loss extended Missouri’s SEC losing streak to 21 games.
MU then faces a game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, vs. LSU, which it beat 83-67 on Jan. 7, 2025, to snap that skid.
The Tigers will have their first of a pair of two-game homestands in league play, clashing with Georgia on either Jan. 20 or 21 and permanent rival Oklahoma on Jan. 24.
Mizzou routed the Bulldogs 87-74 on Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Georgia, giving the Tigers a 12-10 all-time series edge. The Tigers split the season series with the Sooners last season, securing an 82-58 home victory Feb. 12, 2025, and a 96-84 loss to the then-SEC newcomer March 5, 2025, in Norman, Oklahoma.
Mizzou will face Alabama on either Jan. 27 or 28 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for a heavily anticipated rematch from last season’s matchup. A torrid Tigers offense fueled a 110-98 victory over the then-No. 4 Crimson Tide on Feb. 19, 2025, to secure their third win over a top-5 team in a campaign for the second time in program history.
Missouri then hosts rotating rival Mississippi State on Jan. 31. The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs twice last season, winning 88-61 on Feb. 1, 2025, in Starkville, Mississippi and 85-73 in the second round of the SEC Tournament on March 13, 2025.
Missouri will get a week off before it takes on its second road trip of the SEC schedule, facing South Carolina on Feb. 7 in Columbia, South Carolina, and Texas A&M on either Feb. 10 or 11 in College Station, Texas.
The Tigers made quick work of the Gamecocks in their last meeting, trouncing them 101-71 on Feb. 25, 2025. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from former Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV ended Mizzou’s 15-game home winning streak in a 67-64 loss Feb. 8, 2025.
Missouri then hosts Texas at Mizzou Arena for the first time in over 14 years on Feb. 14. The Valentine’s Day clash will be the first time the Longhorns have played in Columbia since the Tigers defeated Texas 84-73 on Jan. 14, 2012.
Mizzou’s 61-53 loss to the Longhorns on Jan. 21, 2025, in Austin, Texas, marked the two teams’ first meeting following an 81-67 Tigers win in a Big 12 Conference Tournament semifinal bout March 9, 2012, in Kansas City.
MU concludes its last two-game homestand of the season against Vanderbilt on either Feb. 17 or 18. The Tigers split the season series against their former rotating rival, winning 75-66 on Jan. 11, 2025, and losing 97-93 in overtime March 1, 2025, in Nashville.
Mizzou then meets its second permanent rival, Arkansas, for the first time Feb. 21 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, before hosting Tennessee on Feb. 24.
The Tigers split their series in the Battle Line Rivalry last season, routing Arkansas 83-65 on Jan. 18, 2025, and falling 92-85 on Feb. 22, 2025, in a road tilt. Missouri also fell in its lone meeting against the Volunteers in the 2024-25 campaign, losing 85-81 on Feb. 5, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
MU will hit the road for the final time before the postseason, facing Mississippi State on Feb. 28 in Starkville, Mississippi, and Oklahoma on either March 3 or 4 in Norman, Oklahoma.
The Tigers wrap up their regular season by hosting Arkansas on March 7. The Razorbacks hold a 36-28 all-time series lead in the Battle Line Rivalry.
Tipoff times and TV designations for the SEC clashes will be revealed at a later date.
Mizzou-Kansas State exhibition tipoff time out
Mizzou’s preseason matchup against Kansas State on July 24 will be played at 9 p.m. The TV carrier is to be determined.
Mizzou and Kansas State have a storied history, with the Wildcats holding a narrow 120-117 all-time series advantage and winning the past five contests.
An interesting storyline heading into this year’s exhibition matchup is Missouri freshman Aaron Rowe facing off against his former Tolton teammate, Kansas State freshman Zay Wilson.
Mizzou will look to continue its success from a 22-12 overall and 10-8 SEC finish from the 2024-25 campaign, which included a first-round loss to Drake in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers tip off the 2025-26 regular season against Howard on Nov. 3 in Washington.
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