T.O. Barrett’s career night delivers Mizzou impressive ranked win vs. Tennessee
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- T.O. Barrett scored a career-high 28 points to lead Mizzou to a 73-69 win.
- Mark Mitchell added 23 points as the duo combined for 51 of Mizzou’s points.
- Mizzou improved Quad 1 resume to 5-5, bolstering NCAA Tournament case.
T.O. Barrett wasn’t a starter until recently.
It was actually a month ago Tuesday when Barrett made his first start for the Missouri Tigers in the thrilling Oklahoma game. Since then, Barrett has been a driving force for Mizzou’s efforts in securing an NCAA Tournament bid.
Tuesday night’s game against Tennessee provided the latest example.
In the 73-69 Mizzou win, Barrett erupted for a career-high 28 points. He did it without attempting a 3-pointer, going 12-for-17 on field goals and 4-for-6 from the line. He was credited with five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
“I think y’all are seeing a kid grow up right before your eyes,” Mizzou coach Dennis Gates said in his postgame news conference. “Sometimes it takes offseasons, but when you see a kid through a season grow, it’s special.”
Barrett was averaging just 8.1 points per game entering Tuesday, but it’s been a story of two different seasons for the sophomore standout.
Barrett is averaging 15 points across the nine starts of his college career.
“There’s going to be ups and downs throughout the season and your entire career,” Barrett said on the SEC Network’s postgame show. “Just being ready, coming into work and trusting that.”
While Barrett led the way, KC native Mark Mitchell was right behind him. He scored 23 points, adding three rebounds, two assists and a block. The duo combined for 51 of Mizzou’s 73 points. No other Tiger reached double-figures.
“That’s our leader,” Barrett said of Mitchell, surrounded by his teammates on the broadcast. “That’s our dog. That’s our (captain).”
Likewise, Mitchell is enjoying what he’s seen from Barrett.
“I think his growth has been special,” Mitchell said. “He’s just really talented, man. I remember I was hurting this summer, me and Coach Gates were just watching him in practice and going, ‘Man, he’s special.’
“... I’ve been a T.O. believer since day one.”
Overall, Mizzou finished well Tuesday night but started egregiously slow. The Vols climbed to a quick 12-2 lead and worked the Tigers’ defense, particularly on the glass. Mizzou didn’t come up with a defensive rebound until the 14:33 mark and had just four by the under-12 timeout of the first half.
But Tennessee wasn’t taking advantage. The Vols had just three second-chance points in the first half.
The Tigers eventually snapped into shape, at one point keeping the Vols from scoring for five minutes. Mizzou went into halftime trailing just 29-26.
The Tigers also forced 15 Tennessee turnovers, turning those miscues into 23 points.
Trent Burns finished as the Tigers’ leader in rebounds with seven. And he showed some interesting versatility ... as a reporter.
Burns joined media members in the postgame news conference and asked Barrett a question of his own, wanting to know how the sophomore gets into a “flow state” on the court.
“Just my boys on the sideline cheering me on,” Barrett answered with a laugh. Gates chirped Barrett for not mentioning the coaches’ play calls in his answer.
Safe to say, spirits are high in the Mizzou locker room as March draws closer.
As a bubble team, Mizzou (19-9, 9-6 SEC) needed this win. Thanks to Barrett and Mitchell, the Tigers have added another ranked victory — and Quad 1 win — to their resume.
The Tigers improved to 5-5 against Quad 1 teams, with other wins over Florida, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Kentucky.
Tennessee (20-8, 10-5) entered Tuesday ranked No. 22.
“You have a team that is now starting to jell,” Gates said. “Trying to figure out roles is no longer (an issue). These guys have accepted their roles. They know how to hold each other accountable, they know how to practice.
“Our team is just being able to execute our game plans that we put together,” Gates added. “I’m proud of our staff. It’s been an electric environment with our fans, so it’s been a collective village putting the toils, the work, every little detail into it to make it special.”
The Tigers next travel to Starkville, Mississippi, on Saturday for a matchup against Mississippi State. Tipoff is set for noon Central on the SEC Network.
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 10:38 PM.
