Dennis Gates Provides Injury Update on Guard Annor Boateng

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri sophomore guard Annor Boateng left the court on a stretcher after taking a fall to the court during the second half of the Tigers' win over Mississippi State.

He'll likely be out for the remainder of the season, head coach Dennis Gates revealed after the game.

"Don't know the specifics yet, but nine times out of 10, he'll be out for the remainder of the season," Gates said.

On the possession before his injury, Boateng had arguably his most impressive play of the season, slamming down a put-back dunk.

On the play where he suffered the injury, he was running through an open lane for another possible dunk attempt, but fell backward. He lied on the court for several minutes before the stretcher was brought out.

Jan 31, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Annor Boateng (6) slips while going up for a dunk against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half of the game at Mizzou Arena. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

"I don't think it (Boateng's injury) slowed us down," guard T.O. Barrett said. "I know me personally, kind of messed me a little bit mentally, just seeing my brother go down like that and you can see the pain on his face. ... But ultimately, we kept pushing through, we stayed together."

Missouri held a 15-point lead at the time of Boateng's injury, with 11:03 still remaining. After that point, Mississippi State outscored Missouri 19-8 in the next nine minutes to make it a three-point game with 2:22 remaining.

Prior to his injury, Boateng had scored two points while also grabbing two rebounds and a block in three minutes of playing time.

The Arkansas native's first two collegiate seasons have been full of highs and lows. He started in four games in December after missing the first five games with an undisclosed injury.

"Coming off of our preseason, I thought he (Boateng) was one of the top three guys on the team," Gates said aftter Boateng's return to the court in November. "... And his rhythm got disrupted."

Boateng was removed from the starting lineup following Missouri's blowout loss to Illinois on Dec. 22, where he missed all five of his field goal attempts and coughing up a turnover in 15 minutes of play.

"There's different guys that I need to step up, Annor Boateng being one of them," Gates said in a virtual press conference shortly after Boateng was removed from the starting lineup. "Ultimately, I just believe he is a difference-maker for us, as long as he's using his instincts and not trying to be perfect. Sometimes, kids just try to be too perfect and Annor Boateng has been trying to be too perfect. I just need him to go out and take the risk and then you'll see the rewards."

In addition to Boateng, Missouri center Shawn Phillips Jr. sprained his ankle in the second half, leading to Gates deciding to keep him out of the game for the final 16 minutes of the game.

Missouri will have a week off before its next game, taking on South Carolina at noon on Feb. 7.

"Bye week coming up, hopefully we can heal from our knick-knack injuries," Gates said.

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