What to watch as Mizzou opens SEC hoops schedule against the defending champs
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mizzou opens SEC slate vs No. 22 Florida at Mizzou Arena on Saturday.
- Tigers enter 10-3 with injuries to Trent Pierce and Jayden Stone limiting depth.
- Florida brings top-40 strength of schedule, size: Chinyelu and Haugh lead frontcourt.
Coach Dennis Gates’ Missouri Tigers men’s basketball team is set to open the Southeastern Conference portion of its 2025-26 season against defending national champion Florida on Saturday evening at Mizzou Arena.
The 22nd-ranked Gators (9-4) have faced a drastically different schedule than the Tigers’. Florida’s Kenpom strength-of-schedule rating is No. 37, while MU’s is No. 351. Florida's most recent loss was against No. 4-ranked Connecticut, a narrow 77-73 defeat on Dec. 9 at Madison Square Garden.
Mizzou (10-3) is 1-3 against high-major opponents this season, with its lone win coming against Minnesota on Nov. 12. In the Tigers’ three losses to high-major opponents, they have fallen by an average margin of nearly 23 points.
Adding to Mizzou's struggles against power-conference foes: ongoing injury woes. The Tigers are still without junior forward Trent Pierce, who has yet to touch the court this season, and senior guard Jayden Stone remains sidelined with a hand injury.
"Trent Pierce, it's great to see him practice, Jayden Stone it's great to see him practice, but I have to follow doctor's orders so they get cleared," Gates said recently. "So I won't compromise the entire season, but get these guys in a place where they're healthy and the doctors approve it."
Last season, the Tigers faced Florida twice, edging the then-No. 5 Gators 83-82 in Gainesville behind 22 points from Caleb Grill. Guard Walter Clayton Jr. had 28 points for the Gators that day. (Clayton's replacement, senior guard Xaivian Lee, is still finding his way this season ... but the Princeton transfer has scored at least 10 points in every game since UF’s loss to UConn.)
The 2024-25 Tigers also took on Florida in the SEC tournament, falling 95-81.
Florida enters this year's matchup ranked No. 22 in the AP poll. The Gators are the third ranked opponent the Tigers will face this season.
Junior forward Thomas Haugh is averaging nearly 17 points (47.3% shooting) and six rebounds per game. UF also brings significant size to the frontcourt. Junior center Rueben Chinyelu is a top-10 rebounder nationally, grabbing nearly rebounds per game.
Given the Tigers' lack of success against high-major opponents in the early part of the 2025-26 season, Saturday’s matchup provides Gates and his squad a chance to pick up an important victory.
Following MU’s opener against Florida, the Tigers hit the road for Kentucky and Ole Miss.
Copyright 2026 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published January 2, 2026 at 10:15 AM with the headline "What to watch as Mizzou opens SEC hoops schedule against the defending champs."