3 Takeaways from Mizzou's Upset Over No. 5 Florida

The Missouri Tigers earned their first win over a ranked opponent in conference play Tuesday night, upsetting the No. 5-ranked Florida Gators.

Before Tuesday, Missouri had lost its last six road matches against top-five teams, last losing to then-No. 2-ranked Auburn to open conference play.

Missouri built a 19-point lead by the 7:22 mark in the first half. Florida brought the game within one possession six separate times in the second half, but Missouri led for all but 54 seconds early in the game.

The win pushes the Tigers to a 3-1 record in the Southeastern Conference, sitting at 14-3 overall.

Here's three takeaways from another upset win for Missouri.

Endurance

Dennis Gates loves to use the analogy of his team having to keep their foots on the shovel. To continue digging.

Missouri hit rocks in the dirt multiple times in the second half.

First, point guard Tony Perkins was ejected with 8:58 remaining for a flagrant 2 foul after elbowing Florida's Alijah Martin in the groin. Anthony Robinson II, who was already up to four fouls, was subbed in for Perkins. Forward Mark Mitchell also had four fouls at that time.

Florida was constantly threatening Missouri's lead, leaving no moment of comfortability for the Tigers. Constant intervention from the officiating crew didn't help, with 27 personal fouls being called in the second half.

But the Tigers kept digging. With a starter ejected, and two others in foul trouble, true freshman T.O. Barrett and others had to step up.

Barrett, who had played in just 43 minutes before Tuesday, played for all but nine seconds of the final 6:11 of the game. He made both his free-throw attempts, created an assist and grabbed a defensive rebound.

"That says a lot about what his team thinks of him, what I think of him, but more importantly, the confidence he has in itself to go out there and do the job," Gates said of Barrett.

Jan 14, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) dribbles the ball at Missouri Tigers guard T.O. Barrett (5) during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Having depth is valuable, but much more difficult to utilize and trust in league play compared to non-conference. Against Florida, Missouri's starters and bench both held up in key moments — 35 of Missouri's points came from the bench.

"It just says our depth is a strength of our team and we go by 18 strong," Gates said.

Missouri had to find new ways to win against Kansas in December, with the Tigers' best shooter, Caleb Grill, missing the rivalry game with injury.

With the foul trouble and ejection against Florida, Missouri again had to find different ways to win.

In both upsets, Missouri kept its foot on the shovel and on the gas, even while having to deal without top players. The Tigers look to be a team that can not only hang with some of the nation's best in tense matches, but also win.

Winning On the Glass

Entering Tuesday night, no team in the country had a greater rebound differential than Florida's +12.6. In a win over then-top-ranked Tennessee, the Gators won the rebound battle 56 to 37.

But, Missouri put up 36 rebounds to Florida's 37. Out-rebounding Florida 17 to 15 in the first half was a significant factor to the Tigers' ability to build the early lead.

A presence on the glass is starting to become a part of Missouri's identity.

Missouri took on Auburn, who have the sixth-best rebound differential in the conference, to open SEC play. Despite losing 84-68, Missouri won the rebound battle 31 to 29.

Jan 14, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Missouri Tigers center Josh Gray (33) dunks the ball against the Florida Gators during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Missouri was the worst rebounding team in the conference last season.

The improvement is in large part thanks to the additions of Mitchell from Duke and center Josh Gray from South Carolina. Gray has averaged 8.7 rebounds over the last three games and notched six on Tuesday while Mitchell grabbed eight.

Missouri might not match the sheer physicality of some of the teams at the top of the SEC. But early on in conference play, the Tigers are proving they can hold their own on the glass.

A Flammable Grill

When Grill can find a good flow early, he's a perfect fit for what Gates wants to do offensively, bringing energy and leads in a quick time.

Grill certainly found that Tuesday night, making all four of his first attempts from three-point land. He ended the night leading the team with 22 points, making six of his 10 three-point attempts.

"Our ability to shoot the basketball in the first half is what gave us the obvious execution,"Grill said. "But Caleb Grill stretched that lead on his own. He was on fire."

Grill missed all of SEC play last season with a wrist injury he suffered in December.

Now fully showing what he's capable of in his second season with Missouri, he's proved to be the spark in multiple games that the Tiger offense needs.

He's not going to be 'on' every night — against Auburn, he missed all three of his three-point attempts. But, he's proving to be one of the most valuable pieces to the Missouri offense.

Missouri will return to Mizzou Arena Saturday, hosting Arkansas at 5 p.m.

Endurance

Winning On the Glass

A Flammable Grill

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