Missouri Has Several Reasons Why Hogs Likely to Lose Again

Tigers host Arkansas Saturday as Razorbacks continue to seek first SEC victory

The pain and frustration of the Arkansas Razorbacks' losing streak is etched in the expression of forward Adou Thiero, who reacts to a play in Tuesday's 78-74 loss against the LSU Tigers at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

John Calipari is searching for answers but he's not likely to find any with Saturday's road trip to Missouri. Arkansas and its first-year coach hoped to get well with Tuesday's game down at LSU but the Razorbacks returned with yet another disappointing defeat.

A quick look at the SEC standings suggests more of the same. Red-hot Missouri is 13-0 at home, 3-1 in the SEC, and winners of three straight. They shocked the country and the conference Tuesday by winning at No. 5 Florida, hanging on by 83-82 after leading 50-34 at halftime.

That leaves Missouri tied for third in the SEC with Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky. Auburn and Ole Miss lead the league with 4-0 marks. Ole Miss had the other big upset Tuesday, winning 74-64 at Alabama.

Missouri Tigers coach Dennis Gates led his team to a surprising road victory against the Florida Gators at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Tuesday. / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Mizzou and coach Dennis Gates have enjoyed quite the turnaround after going 8-24 last season and a humiliating 0-18 in SEC games. Gates guided the Tigers to a 25-10 record, 11-7 in the SEC, in his first season at Missouri after coaching three years at Cleveland State (50-40 overall).

Gates' best player this season took a leap of faith to leave Duke and transfer to Mizzou. Mark Mitchell, the burly 6-foot-9 forward, started 67 of 68 games at Duke to begin his collegiate career. He leads a balanced attack for the Tigers with team-bests of 13.6 points and 4.9 rebounds a game.

After the big win at Florida, Gates said, "Mark Mitchell is one of the most versatile players in the country, and I'm thankful he chose Mizzou."

Missouri Tigers forward Mark Mitchell (25) drives against Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday. / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The backcourt boasts talent and experience, paced by three double-figure scorers: 6-5 senior Tamar Bates (12.8 average), 6-3 grad Caleb Grill (12.2) and 6-3 sophomore Anthony Robinson II (10.7), who leads the team with 3.8 assists a game. A year ago, Bates transferred from Indiana and Grill from Iowa State.

Grill led the charge against Florida by scoring 22 points, including two free throws in the final five seconds. Grill buries 49% of his six 3-point attempts a game, providing a spark off the bench and a deep threat to stretch defenses.

Caleb Grill with three of 22 points as Missouri upsets #5 Florida 83-82 at O'Connell Center in Gainesville.
pic.twitter.com/F6UiiOCItP

— Rockford Maverick (@RockfordMav) January 15, 2025

Missouri is 14-3, the Hogs 11-6. The Tigers' losses are 83-75 at No. 19 Memphis, 80-77 in St. Louis to No. 18 Illinois, and 84-68 at No. 1 Auburn to open SEC action. A big win was 76-67 at home over No. 9 Kansas. Other SEC wins are at home over LSU, 83-67, and Vanderbilt, 75-66.

Arkansas' only impressive win of the season remains the 89-87 thriller at New York City's Madison Square Garden against Michigan. The teams have been on different paths since that Dec. 10 clash, with the Hogs spiraling downward once SEC play began. Michigan is 5-0 in the Big 10 and ranked No. 20.

What ails the Razorbacks is mostly inconsistency, pretty much in all phases and on both ends of the court. Arkansas is an unexpected 0-4 in SEC play and desperate to claim its first win.

Calipari is pulling his hair out, looking for answers. He watched Arkansas grab a 12-point lead at LSU but before a Hog call could be completed, the home team erased most of it. The Tigers clawed their way back and trailed by just two at halftime.

The Hogs regained an eight-point lead about eight minutes into the second half thanks to their hard-working defense. Adou Thiero scored six points while Boogie Fland and DJ Wagner netted five each to fuel the modest 16-8 edge after intermission.

Then, again, much to Calipari's chagrin, it all fell apart. LSU ripped off a 14-0 spurt in just 2:38 to grab a six-point edge and never trailed again.

Calipari said he needs to drag his team across the finish line and win one of these close games. He ain't wrong. Even when it's close, the Hogs are making too many mistakes. Bad fouls, worse turnovers, bad clock management, poor shot selection. Pick your problem and these Hogs have it when they can least afford a mistake.

Will the suffering end at Missouri? Not likely. That's the beauty of sports, though. You never know what might happen. If you're a glutton for punishment, or hope to be pleasantly surprised, tune in the SEC Network at 5 p.m. Central on Saturday.

HOGS FEED:

• Deep dive on LSU game provides unexpected source of hope for Hogs

• Hogs' extend scholarship offer to Sheridan standout lineman

• Hogs' flame throwers ready to become full-fledged contributors

• Former lineman for Razorbacks now cult hero for best in NFL

• Hogs' hope gamble on small school transfers pays off in 2025

• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube
• Follow HogsSI on X and Facebook