Mizzou basketball exorcises road demons with SEC win over South Carolina
With under three minutes remaining, Missouri sophomore guard T.O. Barrett picked off a South Carolina pass. He took it the length of the floor, finishing at the rim to give the Tigers a 72-54 lead.
The Tigers have struggled on the road in Southeastern Conference play, but they looked right at home as they cruised to a 78-59 win over South Carolina on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina.
Mizzou maintained control throughout the contest, playing a complete 40-minute game in which it never trailed. The Tigers utilized a steady stream of offense and silenced the Gamecocks’ most explosive scoring threat in guard Meechie Johnson.
“To be able to go on the road and never have a deficit in a game is tremendous,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. “Hats off to our team.”
The Tigers stretched their lead to as much as 13 in the first half, but a late run by South Carolina cut the deficit to four at the half. Mizzou reasserted control early in the second with a 10-3 run to open the half.
Off a South Carolina miss, graduate guard Jayden Stone grabbed a rebound and hit T.O. Barrett in transition. Barrett finished at the rim and was fouled. He hit the ensuing free-throw to cap the run and give the Tigers an 11-point lead.
Stone finished with a game-high 22 points, while Barrett finished with 14, his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring performance. For South Carolina, Johnson entered Saturday’s contest averaging 16.5 points per game. Mizzou limited him to 13 points on just 2-of-13 shooting.
“I think we played a collective game from the beginning to the end,” Gates said. “Defensively, to be able to hold a team on their home court to 30% in the first half, 30% in the second, and for the game 30%, that’s a remarkable accomplishment.”
The offensive onslaught continued for the Tigers late into the second half as they continued to stretch their lead. With 6:32 left, senior forward Mark Mitchell received a pass and darted down the baseline, slamming home a dunk to put Mizzou ahead 62-50. Mitchell had another explosive day on the stat sheet, scoring 20 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing five assists.
Mitchell led the attack on the glass as Mizzou outrebounded South Carolina 44-28. Five Tigers grabbed five rebounds or more in the win.
“Mark Mitchell double-double, but we had several guys with seven, seven and eight,” Gates said. “T.O. Barrett, Shawn Phillips and Jacob Crews, all three of them had more than seven. But the presence was with Shawn Phillips, getting back in the game (after) some early frustrations. He got back on track and helped us.”
This game was one that Mizzou simply had to have for its tournament résumé. The Tigers now stand at 16-7 and 6-4 in the SEC, with five more Quad 1 games remaining on their schedule. Three of those opportunities will occur at Mizzou Arena against Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Arkansas.
The Tigers next take the court against Texas A&M at 8 p.m. Wednesday in College Station, Texas.
Copyright 2026 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published February 7, 2026 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Mizzou basketball exorcises road demons with SEC win over South Carolina."