How Missouri set the tone for exhibition win over K-State in just 4 seconds
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Four-second sequence on opening possession established Mizzou's physical offense.
- Tigers attacked the rim and free-throw line, totaling 54 paint points and 34 FTA.
- Mitchell exited with a wrist injury; coach praised depth ahead of Nov. 3 season opener.
It took only four seconds for Mizzou to define its exhibition game against Kansas State on Friday night.
One: Anthony Robinson II dribbled to the top of the key, scanning the floor.
Two: Robinson fired a bounce pass past two defenders to Mark Mitchell on the left elbow.
Three: Mitchell connected with Shawn Phillips Jr. on a lob pass over Phillips’ defender.
Four: Phillips slammed the ball home, uncontested.
Four seconds of Mizzou basketball, not even 20 seconds after tipoff, set the tone of the first clash between the Tigers and Wildcats since 2018. Mizzou men’s basketball secured the win 100-91 in the high-scoring exhibition Friday at Mizzou Arena.
Robinson racked up 16 points, only scoring two points in the second half as he passed the baton to graduate Jayden Stone to run the show. Stone, after a year off because of injury, matched the returning junior captain in points with six from the charity stripe, from where he shot 100% in his first Mizzou showing.
“It does show versatility when you have guys who can score when the clock is stopped,” coach Dennis Gates said.
The free-throw line was a frequent stop for the Tigers, as the Wildcats continuously racked up shooting fouls. Missouri went to the line 34 times throughout the 40 minutes, with Stone going 6-for-6 and sophomore Annor Boateng 6-for-7.
Free throws weren’t the only thing Boateng contributed, as he finished with 15 points and six rebounds in his first showing of his second year on the team.
“Annor Boateng, you know, he has fought through adversity in terms of just getting a rhythm,” Gates said, “and you guys are able to see what I’ve seen this entire summer and obviously fall.”
Outside of the three highest scorers from the Tigers, Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty had a game-high 23 points for the Wildcats. Haggerty was one of a few K-State players who could penetrate the Mizzou defense and score in the paint consistently. Haggerty had 12 points in the paint and eight off free throws.
Even so, the Tigers dominated at close range, with 54 points in the paint and 29 fast-break points.
Phillips headlined Missouri’s performance in the paint, as he repeatedly outmaneuvered the Wildcats’ defenders. Phillips ended the night with 14 points and a team-high 10 boards, recording his first double-double as a Tiger.
“You can see his numbers,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. “He finishes at a high rate around the rim. … He played with way more control today, right, then he has in the past.”
Phillips and Mitchell showed what a tall, controlled offense could look like for the Tigers from the first play of the game.
Senior forward Mitchell played 11 minutes in the first half before he suffered a hard fall, colliding with multiple players as he swung in for a defensive rebound and eventually hitting the hardwood. With 29.6 seconds left in the first, he came down on his wrist first, with his tailbone close behind.
Mitchell laid on the court, still, as his team surrounded him for a few seconds. The captain and last season’s highest scorer for the Tigers was slow to rise but ultimately made it off the floor on his own accord. He remained on the sideline the rest of the matchup, his wrist wrapped in ice.
“I know what Mark Mitchell can do,” Gates said. “It’s important … to see what our team looks like without Mark Mitchell on some occasions. … I didn’t want him to play as much. He could have played, trust me.”
Mitchell wasn’t the only Tigers veteran to spend significant time on the sideline. Both a boot-free Trent Burns and junior Trent Pierce were clad in gray Mizzou sweats on the bench.
“Trent Pierce has been practicing,” Gates said. “I just thought, you know, just making a decision, ultimately to play other guys. … We have the depth, but there’s nothing in my mind that says Trent can’t play.”
Mizzou will start its nonconference regular-season play against Howard at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, in Washington, D.C.
Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published October 25, 2025 at 10:49 AM with the headline "How Missouri set the tone for exhibition win over K-State in just 4 seconds."