Live Blog of Mizzou's SEC Opener Against No. 22 Florida

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The air held still and silent in Mizzou Arena as Anthony Robinson II leaped up to take a 3. The point guard’s shot gracefully fell through, breaking the silence with explosion as the Tigers took a 74-69 lead over Florida with 21 seconds remaining.

The Tigers opened SEC play Saturday night with a thrilling 76-74 victory over the No. 22-ranked Gators. The upset win comes after an embarrassing 43-point loss to Illinois.

Florida had a chance for a last-second shot after Mark Mitchell missed two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining, but time expired but the prayer from Boogie Fland bounced off the backboard.

Last season, Missouri’s upset over then-No. 5 Florida on the road was crucial in the Tigers building momentum that led to an impressive SEC slate to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Saturday night’s win could be just as pivotal for the Tigers after a bleak month of December where Missouri went 2-3. The Missouri team that showed up Saturday night looked far different from the one that did in the final month of non-conference play.

Missouri rode into the second half on a high note, with 7-foot-5 center Trent Burns not so gracefully taking an open look from the perimeter to land a 3 as time expired.

Jan 3, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers center Trent Burns (7) celebrates his last-second shot at the end of the first half at Mizzou Arena. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

Missouri carried the energy from Burns' 3 into the second half, outsourcing Florida 17-7 in the first eight minutes of the half.

Missouri then went through a cold streak where it only scored one point in a stretch that lasted more than four minutes. At the same time, Florida’s offense was beginning to find its rhythm, scoring eight points in that same span.

Missouri was eventually able to re-stabilize itself in the half, but Florida’s offense only found more efficiency.

After trading a five-point scoring run for Missouri followed by a nine-point run for Florida, the Gators took a 65-64 lead with 3:37 remaining thanks to a 3 from Thomas Haugh, Florida’s first lead of the half.

But, when Florida needed a 3 even more, Haugh air balled the attempt with 1:20 left, allowing Missouri to keep a 69-67 lead.

Missouri then made its first four free-throw attempts in the final minute — two from Jacob Crews and another two from Mitchell. The Robinson 3 in between those makes from the line was enough to secure the win.

By making key shots in the final seconds and its free throws, the Tigers managed to hold on.

Saturday’s game saw the returns of forward Trent Pierce and guard Jayden Stone, with both making their impact felt throughout the game. Dennis Gates had insisted the return of those two would change the dynamics of Missouri’s lineups.

Gates’ claim was especially evident at the start and end of the first half.

At the start, Stone had been shot out of a cannon, scoring all eight of Missouri’s first points of the game, including six on 3s and another two on a fast-break steal and dunk.

At the end of the first half, Missouri was able to pair Pierce’s 6-foot-10 height with that of Jacob Crews and Mark Mitchell, giving the Tigers a much better answer for Florida’s physical offense. Pierce also made two key 3s in the second half.

Jan 3, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Jayden Stone (17) celebrates during the first half of a game against the Florida Gators at Mizzou Arena. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

Missouri had spent most of the first half falling behind, but being able to dig itself out of those holes.

Missouri’s defense was inconsistent at times, allowing Florida to run its offense with few disruptions, especially in the paint.

Florida’s offense was especially physical on a four-minute stretch where it took a 19-11 lead with 12:49 remaining. But, Missouri responded with a 7-3 scoring run in the next two minutes to close the gap.

The Tigers trailed 28-21 with nine minutes remaining in the half, but responded with a 8-1 scoring run of their own over the next three minutes.

After so many times of just barely reaching the top of the hill before falling back down it, the Tigers finally pushed over the hump right before the end of the half with forward Mark Mitchell leading the way.

Mitchell swatted a shot attempt from Haugh. Seconds later, Mitchell fought through for a layup to put the score at 35-35 with 2:37 remaining.

Clawing back in the first half led to a second where Missouri wasn't perfect, but executed in the key moments.

Missouri will next take its first road trip of SEC play, traveling to take on Kentucky at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Live Updates

Final Stats

Second Half

FINAL: Missouri 76, Florida 74

3:19 - Missouri 64, Florida 65

Florida has its first lead of the half, with Thomas Haugh sinking a 3.

4:18 - Missouri 64, Florida 62

Missouri has rediscovered its footing after the rough middle stretch of the half, but Florida is continuing to score tough points offensively. Should be a close finish.

9:04 - Missouri 56, Florida 52

Florida now closing the gap by scoring six unanswered points in the last 2:19 of play.

15:04 - Missouri 49, Florida 43

Missouri has upped the pace of this game and is thriving because of it. Missouri's defense is also playing the best it has all game.

Halftime Stats

Stats from the first half of Missouri's game against Florida. — StatMonitr

HALF: Missouri 39, Florida 39

Trent Pierce had an open look from 3 and took it, landing the shot right as the buzzer hit. Florida coach Todd Golden looked like he was claiming to the officials that Pierce was across the line, but it stands as a 3 for the Tigers to tie the game going into the locker room.

Missouri went on a 10-4 run in the final 4:35 of the half.

AT THE BUZZER!!! 👌@Tr3ntB21 // #MIZ 🐯 pic.twitter.com/NiSz2WxQt1
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) January 4, 2026

2:04 - Missouri 35, Florida 35

Mark Mitchell puts together an impressive 60 seconds to tie this game back up. Blocked a shot from Thomas Haugh, then makes a layup.

5:31 - True freshman Nicholas Randall is checking into the game for the first time. Dennis Gates said early in the season that he believes Randall will help this team win SEC games.

6:43 - Missouri 26, Florida 31

Missouri brought its deficit down to two points for the first time in over seven minutes after Anthony Robinson II fed a pass to a wide-open T.O Barrett for a layup, bringing the crowd to a high. But Thomas Haugh responded with a 3 to suck all of the energy right back out of Mizzou Arena.

9:28 - Missouri 21, Florida 24

Perimeter shooting hasn't been Missouri's strongest point so far this season, but it's keeping the Tigers in this game.

They're shooting 50% from 3, with Mark Mitchell just making one to bring the game back within one possession.

13:19 - Missouri 11, Florida 17

This is turning into a pretty physical game, but Florida is benefitting from that. Missouri has had a 3 from Anthony Robinson II in the last two minutes, but the Gators have score six points in the paint in that same span.

15:52 - Missouri 8, Florida 13

Jayden Stone has hit the ground running in his return. He's scored all of Missouri's points so far, including the first two of the game from both teams, taking a fast-break steal to slam down a dunk. He's made two of three 3-point attempts since.

16:36 - Trent Pierce is checking in for his first minutes of the season, replacing Crews.

Pre Game

#Mizzou set to take on Florida in its SEC opener at 7:30.

Follow our live blog for the game: https://t.co/YdCubX6jKR pic.twitter.com/7DcYIYiNkK
— Missouri Tigers On SI (@MizzouSI) January 4, 2026

Starting Lineups

Missouri	Florida
G Anthony Robinson II	G Boogie Fland
G Jayden Stone	G Xavian Lee
F Mark Mitchell	F Thomas Haugh
F Jacob Crews	F Alex Condon
C Shawn Phillips Jr.	C Rueben Chinyelu

How to Watch: Mizzou men's basketball vs. No. 22 Florida

Who: Missouri (10-3) vs. Florida (9-4)

What: Missouri's first conference game of the season.

When: Saturday, Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Mizzou Arena

TV: SEC Network

Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Play-By-Play: Mike Kelly Color: Chris Gervino)

SiriusXM: Florida - 145, Missouri - 374

Series: Florida leads 12-5

Last Time Out, Missouri: The Tigers suffered an embarrassing, 91-48 loss to No. 20 Illinois, the lowest-scoring performance under Gates. Missouri shot 29% from the field and was out-rebounded 43 to 24.

Missouri Stat Leaders

Points: Mark Mitchell (17.2 on 58.6 FG%)
Rebounds: Mark Mitchell (5.8)
Assists: Anthony Robinson II (3.4 with 1.8 turnovers)

Florida Stat Leaders

Points: Thomas Haugh (16.7 on 47.3 FG%)
Rebounds: Rueben Chinyelu (10.9)
Assists: Alex Condon (3.7 with 2.8 turnovers)