How Mizzou Matches Up with a 'Physically Annihilating' Tennessee Team

Missouri is entering the final four-game stretch of its regular season, looking for the final wins necessary to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. That starts with hosting No. 22 Tennessee on Tuesday.

The Tigers enter the game after losing to No. 20 Arkansas on the road, falling 94-86 after getting into foul trouble early.

Missouri head coach Dennis Gates spoke on the challenges that the Volunteers will bring to Mizzou Arena in a press conference Monday. Here's a look at what he had to say about his scouting report.

Walking the Line Between Physicality and Fouling

Feb 21, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr (5) drives against Missouri Tigers guard Trent Pierce (11) during the first half at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Against Arkansas, three Missouri players had reached four personal fouls while there was still over six minutes remaining. Guard T.O. Barrett even reached his fourth foul with over 17 minutes still remaining, causing him to sit for nearly 11 minutes.

Over the last three games, the Tigers have record 19, 20 and 19 fouls respectively, tying for the second and third most they've been called for in a game this season.

"Now, we want our guys to play, we want them to play through mistakes, play through fouls, but we got to stop fouling," Gates said. "We're fouling too much away from the basket. We're fouling too much, and we're putting our defense in a disadvantage because of the foul count."

Through that mission, Gates realizes the difficult line to walk between limiting fouls while also not losing the physicality the Tigers are able to play with. One area he does see as something that's simple to not overcorrect for is fouling away from the basket, believing too many of Missouri's defensive fouls have come outside of the paint.

"Be physical, but do it without fouling," Gates said. "And that comes down to positioning. It comes down to anticipation. It comes down to just being aware and understanding what risk to take and what risk not to take."

Specifically with Tennessee, Gates sees a team that will require consistent physicality to defend. Tennessee has drawn at least 20 fouls in every single SEC game so far this season.

"They just try to physically punish you from inside out," Gates said of the Volunteers. "And their guards make plays, and there's a healthy balance of it, so we have to do our job and play well without fouling, and play physical, because that team does pose that risk of physically just annihilating you."

Sizing Up the Volunteers

Tennessee forwards DeWayne Brown II (6) and Nate Ament (10), and guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie (0) return to the court for the NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma on Feb. 18, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A part of that physicality that Tennessee brings is a similar height to Missouri. The average height of its starting lineup is 6'8, with another 6-foot-8 forward coming off the bench.

"Not only do they have great height, they have great width, they have wide shoulders, they got wide hips, they got strength in those positions," Gates said.

Gates sees junior, 6-foot-8 forward Jalen Carey as a key part to the size that the Volunteers bring. While playing for Vanderbilt last year in a game against Missouri, Carey grabbed 10 rebounds.

"There's no doubt in my mind, if you look at the size of Jalen Carey," Gates said, "his width is more important than his height. There's not one big man, no matter how tall they are, that stops him from doing what he does, because his width is an advantage."

Preparing for Another Elite Rebounding Team

Jan 28, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers center Felix Okpara (34) controls a rebound over Georgia Bulldogs guard Blue Cain (0) at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

With that size Tennessee brings, the Volunteers can dominate the board. Tennessee carries the second best rebounding differential in the country at 13.4, sitting only behind Florida.

But, Missouri has held their own on the glass against some of the best rebounding teams in the country, including the Gators. A key part of Missouri's upset win over then-No. 22 Florida to start SEC play was matching the Gators with 37 rebounds.

"We've been able to out rebound, or at least put ourselves in a good situation, especially when we played Florida, another team that reminds me of the impact that Tennessee can make on the glass," Gates said. "So to see that we have the ability to do it, we just got to be consistent at it."

But in other games, Missouri has been outnumbered on the glass, including in a loss to Texas, where the Longhorns out-rebounded the Tigers 36 to 26. Just one Missouri player, Jayden Stone, had more than four rebounds.

"It starts with the mindset, and starts with grabbing the ball with two hands, and starts with positioning," Gates said. "You got to be able to position yourself and come away with the possessions you need to come away with. So we got to have all guys on board. Can't have guys with just four rebounds. We got to have somebody with eight or 10."

Missouri will look to get two hands on what would be a crucial victory over the Volunteers at 8 p.m. Tuesday.