Late Comeback Not Enough for No. 15 Mizzou at No. 4 Tennessee

The No. 15-ranked Missouri Tigers faced arguably the most adversity they've faced all season long Wednesday in a dogfight against the No. 4-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

Missouri led for nearly 17 minutes in the middle of the game, controlling most of the first half. With 19:03 remaining, Missouri took a 39-28 lead and appeared to be in the driver's seat.

But a 15-4 scoring run from the Volunteers early in the second half kept Tennessee just a step ahead until the final buzzer, even with a threatening comeback in the final minutes from the Tigers.

Tennessee took a 46-44 lead with 15:27 remaining and would never give it back, handing Missouri a 81-85 loss. The loss drops Missouri to 17-5 on the season and 6-3 in the Southeastern Conference.

Missouri had built serious momentum for a possible comeback, cutting what was a 14-point deficit with 4:30 remaining to just five with 1:40 left. The less than three-minute stretch was preceded by nearly five minutes where Missouri had failed to score a field goal. The comeback effort saw a nine-point scoring run for the Tigers, but the free-throw battle at the end didn't fall in Missouri's favor.

"Ultimately, we did fight back. That's what I'm proud of the most," Missouri head coach Dennis Gates said in a press conference after the loss.

The last life of the comeback was sucked out of Missouri when, trailing 76-70 with 1:27 remaining, freshman guard T.O. Barrett had an open look, but failed to sink the 3-point shot that would've brought the game within one possession.

The Tigers were in close distance for most of the second half though. After playing suffocating defense in the first half, the Volunteers were able to pierce through the Tigers in the second, making six 3-point shots. Additionally, Tennessee out-rebounded Missouri 22-15 in the second half.

Finally, the free-throw discrepancy played a part in the close game, with Missouri shooting 63 percent from the line in the second half to Tennessee's 80.8 percent.

Feb 5, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Felix Okpara (34) defends Missouri Tigers guard Mark Mitchell (25) during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Missouri put together a two-sided effort to take the early lead. Scoring contributions from eight different players in the first half for the Tigers made for a fresh attack against the Volunteer defense. On the other end of the court, Missouri put constant pressure on Tennessee, forcing eight turnovers and holding all but three players to two or less points.

But the hot scoring stretch to open the second half for the Volunteers knocked Missouri off its feet. The pace the Tigers used early was turned against them.

"In the second half, that's when Tennessee was able to execute," Gates said. "They ended up taking more risks behind the arc. Taking quicker shots than they did in the first half. ... I thought it took us too long to stabilize."

Tamar Bates led Missouri with 22 points, all of which came in the second half. The guard trio of Bates, Anthony Robinson II and Caleb Grill (which average a combined 39.2 points per game) only scored five points in the first half, all from Grill. Robinson saw restricted playing time in the first half after being called for two fouls less than six minutes into the game.

"Ant Robinson is very important to us," Gates said. "He can't take those risks that he's taking in the backcourt to try to get a steal or the physicality or an extra posession. And ultimately, that's what put us in, I think, a disadvantage. But, next man up."

Instead Missouri relied on guard Tony Perkins to open the game, with the Iowa transfer scoring 11 points in the first half, including makes on all three of his 3-point attempts. He also ended the game with five assists and five rebounds.

Feb 5, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tony Perkins (12) has a shot blocked by Tennessee Volunteers forward Felix Okpara (34) during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Missouri will obviously need to play a more complete 40 minutes in tough games going forward, but Wednesday's loss should still serve as a valuable learning moment for the group that is poised for the NCAA Tournament. The first half was one of the best halves from the Tigers all season.

Prior to Wednesday, the Tigers had yet to face a significant deficit in the second half that they were realistically able to come back from. Missouri might not have had the resiliency required in Tennese, but now have the experience to improve on.

The late effort could provide the start of a blueprint for future comebacks for Missouri. It even might've been enough if Tennessee didn't have quite as much success with shooting on the perimeter or if Missouri was able to find more consistency offensively.

Tennessee's shooting performance to build the second-half lead wasn't due to any luck, but it was certainly an anomaly compared to the rest of the Volunteer's performances — they shot 33.2 percent on 3-point shots entering Wednesday, which jumped to 66.7 percent against the Tigers.

All things considered, this loss for the Tigers shouldn't take away from the resume they've already built. If anything, some might come away from this one with an even better opinion of Missouri.

Missouri will next take the court Saturday, hosting No. 10 Texas A&M at 2:30 p.m. at Mizzou Arena.