Mizzou Basketball Draws California in SEC/ACC Challenge

The Tigers will host the Golden Bears on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Nov 22, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Kim English (24) takes a shot over California Golden Bears forward David Kravish (45) in the second half in the CBE Classic championship game at the Sprint Center. Missouri won the game 92-53. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports / John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The second annual SEC/ACC Challenge matchups are set, with Missouri hosting California on Tuesday, Dec. 3, per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.

Other matchups in the challenge per Rothstein's report are: Arkansas at Miami, Alabama at North Carolina, Florida State at LSU, Georgia Tech at Oklahoma, Kentucky at Clemson, Notre Dame at Georgia, Ole Miss at Louisville, South Carolina at Boston College, Syracuse at Tennessee, Wake Forest at Texas A&M, Auburn at Duke, Pitt at Mississippi State, Texas at NC State, Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech, and Virginia at Florida.

In the first annual SEC/ACC Challenge last season, the Tigers fell to Pitt 71-64 as the road team.

Missouri is 5-2 all-time against the California Golden Bears with the first matchup occurring all the way back on Dec. 22, 1941. The Tigers won that battle by an extremly low score of 37-34.

Mizzou and Cal's most recent matchup took place on Nov. 22, 2011 in Kansas City, Mo. The No. 21-ranked Tigers dominated the No. 20 Golden Bears by a score of 92-53 in the CBE Classic title game. Kim English had 19 points to lead six Tigers in double figures.

The Missouri men's basketball team is aiming for a significantly better season in 2024-25, as they finished this past one with an 8-24 record, including a winless 0-18 stretch against SEC opponents. The Tigers were also first-round exits in the SEC Tournament against Georgia.

Nevertheless, this didn't deter potential new Tigers as Mizzou is welcoming one of the best newcomer classes in the country for the 2024-25 season. When Missouri announced the 2024-25 SEC game sites on May 13, it also included that the Tigers owned the No. 5 freshman class in the nation, while adding the current No. 12 transfer class under third-year head coach Dennis Gates.

Cal also struggled last season, as it finished with a 13-19 record, including 9-11 against the conference. The Golden Bears lost a few players to the transfer portal, but they also added seven incoming transfers.