How Mizzou Basketball Can Avoid a Repeat of Its 2023 Disaster Season

A nightmare of a reality for Missouri basketball could come true if things turn sideways to start SEC play.

Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates reacts during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Ever since a disaster of a 2023 basketball season, a lingering fear of a winless conference season in the SEC has existed for the Missouri Tigers, and justifiably so.

They thwarted any fear of that happening in back-to-back seasons last year after going 5-5 in their first 10 SEC games. It wasn't perfect, but five wins were five wins.

The sentiment isn't the same heading into the conference slate this year for the Tigers and the lingering fear feels more like walking through a haunted house on Halloween. The alarms are sounding on this Missouri roster following a monstrous defeat to Illinois, even more so since Missouri starts its conference slate against the reigning NCAA champions.

Even if the SEC isn't going to be the same beast it has been the last two seasons, racking up wins is going to be harder than ever. The Tigers know what they have in this roster, as does the rest of the conference, and Missouri isn't going to get any more or less talented. "

It's up to Dennis Gates to figure out what he has on his roster right now and make adjustments based on the team's strengths. Regardless of what other teams across the country are doing, Missouri isn't getting any mid-season reinforcements and they won't be able to bring back former players or international names.

What happened to that Missouri team in 2023 was nothing short of a nightmare and anytime the Tigers aren't in the middle of some success, it's easy to fall back on that mess of a season becoming a reality once again.

That being said, Gates has the pieces on this 2025 roster to ensure that they aren't that bad once again. If that does end up being the case, the outlook for Gates and the Tigers beyond 2025 would be far more grim.

Here's a look at what went into the non-conference slates from both seasons, how they're similar and how Missouri can avoid lightning striking in the same place twice.

What happened and the similarities

Nov 19, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Noah Carter (35) and Jackson State Tigers guard Ken Evans Jr. (2) and guard Chase Adams (10) fight for a loose ball during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Missouri is entering conference play with a 10-3 record and in 2023, it was 8-5. That team suffered an unjustifiable loss in mid-November to Jackson State at home, along with losses to Memphis, Seton Hall, Kansas and Illinois. The Tigers looked pretty darn bad against Jackson State, Memphis and Illinois.

The Tigers showed signs of life against Kansas and Seton Hall, while also earning wins against Pittsburgh and Minnesota. There was enough life in a few of those games to not warrant a winless conference slate, but that eventually ended up happening.

This time around, Missouri suffered three non-conference losses to Notre Dame, Kansas and Illinois. There's really nothing wrong with losing to the Jayhawks or the Illini, both being ranked within the top-25 and being projected to win during the time of the games.

On paper, Missouri played better this time around compared to 2023. But just because the record says so doesn't mean either team passed the eye test.

News flash. They didn't.

Missouri only managed to beat Southeast Missouri State by five points, Prairie View A&M by 18 and Alabama State by eight. Those games are supposed to be easy ones for the Tigers to beat up on inferior opponents. The fact that they weren't able to do that consistently is alarming in its own right, but even when they were winning by 20 or more points, there were areas of Missouri's play that didn't look as sound as they should have.

For example, in wins over South Carolina and Cleveland State, the Tigers shot under 30% from the perimeter. They went 7-for-25 against South Carolina State and 11-for-38 against Cleveland State, both of which were unacceptable.

The final six minutes of the Tigers' 91-73 win over Prairie View A&M also fit this bill. They led 84-50 with 6:12 to play, but that lead was quickly crippled by bad defense, turnovers and poor shot selection.

In 2023, the Tigers only beat Loyola Maryland by eight, Pittsburgh by seven and Wichita State by 10. The Greyhounds trailed by as little as two points at around the halfway mark of that Nov. 25 matchup, managing to get it into double-digits later on. The Tigers were out-rebounded 41-34 in that contest, while shooting 63% from the free-throw line.

The roster make ups of these two teams have some striking similarities, as well. Both teams lack a high-quality big man, though Shawn Phillips Jr. may be a slight improvement compared to recent ones, and both teams are streaky when it comes to perimeter shooting and rebounding.

In 2025, against Power 5 opponents, Missouri was out-rebounded by each of them. The Tigers were also out-rebounded against Southeast Missouri State, a shocking outing that nearly ended in a season-defining loss for Missouri. That's five of 13 non-conference games where the Tigers were out-rebounded.

Seven of Missouri's 13 non-conference games in 2023 resulted in the Tigers being out-rebounded, with multiple others being decided by five or fewer rebounds. Those issues may not be as alarming as they were in 2023, but they're still an issue nonetheless.

Both teams also have interesting wing players. In 2023, the Tigers were working with Caleb Grill, Tamar Bates, Noah Carter and Curt Lewis II. This time around, Missouri has Jayden Stone, Jacob Crews, Sebastian Mack, Jevon Porter and Annor Boateng.

It would be reasonable to say that Gates has upgraded in the wing department since 2023. There is a good versatility of skill sets in the group, and there are also more playable guys. The depth on Missouri's 2023 squad wasn't all that good and even if not all of the players this year consistently contribute, they've shown proof that they can.

Not everything about the two seasons is similar. In fact, there are quite a few differences. There is enough that is eerily close for there to be concerns, which absolutely do exist with conference play starting on Saturday.

Can it be prevented?

Feb. 9, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Trent Pierce gets ready to dribble against the Texas A&M Aggies at Mizzou Arena. / Amber Winkler/Missouri on SI | Amber Winkler/Missouri On SI

To be short and brief, it absolutely can.

But, it's going to take some significant improvement, some better decision-making and a lot more effort to do so.

For starters, Robinson needs to start playing like the player that some were projecting him to be. Even if he doesn't reach the NBA draft heights that some anticipated for him this year, more flashes of that would be a welcome sign for the Tigers. He's still not scoring at a high level and isn't showing the aggression that would justify that happening. That needs to change.

Mark Mitchell will need to continue to play at an all-conference level for the Tigers to win some SEC games. He's doing exactly that so far, averaging 17.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, but that could easily be thwarted by an uptick in physicality and skill once SEC opponents arrive.

Missouri is also getting two key players back in Jayden Stone and Trent Pierce. The offensive side of the ball was at its best at the beginning of the season with Stone in the middle of it, so that already breathes some life into that side of the ball.

Pierce, despite some inconsistencies over the last two seasons, will be a big addition in terms of general offensive production. He improved his three-point shooting to 33% from his freshman to sophomore season, so another jump could be expected. If the does make a leap in that area, while finding other ways to contribute, that would be immediate help for the Tigers.

One thing the Tigers will have to do in SEC play is rebound. That's been an obvious weakness of Gates' teams in Columbia and this year is no different. Missouri is going to play big and physical teams all throughout conference play, but this time around, it has a lengthy and big team to counteract prior flaws.

Guys like Porter, Crews, Boateng, Phillips, Mark Mitchell and Luke Northweather will have to use their size to play as big as they possibly can, giving their team some sort of boost on the glass. When the Tigers run into players like Rueben Chinyelu of Florida, who averages 10.9 boards per game and leads the SEC in the category, and Quincy Ballard of Mississippi State, who averages 7.5 per game and is seven feet tall, someone is going to have to step up and cancel out that size.

The Tigers also need to stay efficient on offense and be consistent in their shot selection and ball movement. There have been moments this season where Missouri struggled to generate high-quality shots and do so while moving the ball at a high level, usually leading to a loss. Its loss to Illinois is a good example of that, failing to move the ball enough to create open looks.

That can't happen again.

Missouri is going to face some of the best defenses in the country when it plays teams like Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Finding ways to counter their defensive schemes and create good shots is going to be of the utmost priority in order to write the wrongs of previous seasons with dry offensive stints.

Gates has guys on his team who are good enough and play well enough in his system to ensure that they won't go without a win in the SEC. How far the Tigers can go in the SEC and potentially the postseason is a completely different question, but it is clear that Missouri is capable of winning some games beyond January.

It just has to put a few primary pieces together in order to do so.

Missouri can ease all of those nerves on Jan. 3 against the Florida Gators, opening up conference play against the reigning national champions at home.