Caleb Grill Heats Up, Tigers Show Resiliency in Upset Win Over No. 5 Gators

"Last but not least, thank you for the birthday gift."

Celebrating as a team inside the locker room after knocking down the No. 5 Florida Gators in an 83-82 thriller Tuesday night on the road, coach Dennis Gates couldn't have asked for a better present on his birthday. Not only did the Missouri Tigers notch its first road win since Nov. 28, 2023, but its first over a top-five opponent on the road since Feb. 11, 2012.

Missouri previously defeated the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks at the time back on Dec. 8, and with another significant upset win under its belt, it served as a statement win on the SEC. It may have gone winless in conference play last year, but this is an entirely different team. This win proved that.

Early into the first half, a potential upset seemed on the horizon. The Tigers led 50-34 at the break, thanks in large part to a string of 3-pointers from Caleb Grill. The senior finished the game with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, adding to an already impressive resume this season.

"Our ability to shoot the basketball in the first half is what gave us the obvious execution, but Caleb Grill stretched that lead on his own," Gates said. "He was on fire. You guys saw it. He was on fire, but his team kept feeding him."

The game wasn't without its suprises though, as the Gators made a large push in the second half. Walter Clayton Jr. was a constant struggle to defend for Missouri throughout the night, finishing with 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting. Whenever it looked like they could gain a big enough lead to hit the dagger, the guard responded with a bucket.

"Walter Clayton Jr., that kid, is a potential Player of the Year," Gates said confidently.

The Tigers had an immense amount of things working against it between Clayton, the ejection of Tony Perkins and high foul totals for a couple of its starters, but it was able to close out the game regardless in the end. Bringing its record to 14-3, things are on the upswing for Missouri potentially earning a ranking next week.

The Tigers got off to quick start in the first four minutes of action, as Tamar Bates added five points and forced two Gators turnovers. Clayton matched Bates with five points of his own during that time — a preview of what was to come during the rest of the night.

Immediately after the break, Bates converted an and-one opportunity off a steal from Grill to give Missouri a 12-7 lead at the 12-7. From there, it turned into the Grill show.

Between the 12:10 to 11:15 minute mark of the first half, Grill knocked down three-straight 3-pointers to bring his total to 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. He was a figurative man on fire, torching Florida and forcing a timeout to cool off his rhythm. At that time, the Tigers led 30-17.

Though for the rest of the half, the Gators started to work their way back into the game. Missouri still led 50-34 at halftime, but Clayton at his lonesome scored 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting and carried a large portion of their offense.

The second half became more of a back and forth battle. Each team traded buckets early on, including a monster two-handed dunk over multiple defenders by Trent Pierce at the 16:20 mark that might be seen on SportsCenter Top 10.

Will Richard began to pick up some momentum for Florida though, scoring eight points between the 16:03 and 13:30 minute mark, which included two 3-pointers. That helped it only trail 58-51, leaving plenty of room for an upset to be held off.

Foul trouble also started to become an issue for the Tigers. Tony Perkins received a flagrant 2 call thanks to an elbow shot in the groin area of Alijah Martin, while Anthony Robinson II and Mark Mitchell each had four fouls of their own with 8:42 still remaining.

"What I'm thankful for it did not impact our guys' aggressiveness, and that's what you got to look for as a coach," Gates said.

That still helped the Gators bring it to a 65-62 game at the 7:56 mark, and Missouri was now in serious jeopardy of a loss. However, it continued to make strong defensive plays and knock down efficient shots to hold a lead down the stretch — helped by the substitution of T.O. Barrett into the closing lineup.

Keeping a 79-75 lead with 1:22 remaining, Grill found his way to the free-throw line but was unable to successfully convert either attempt. Luckily for the Tigers, Mitchell sealed the deal at the line with 28 seconds remaining — along with Grill making up for his misses — to complete a hard-fought victory even with a last-second triple from Martin.

Missouri will look to carry another big upset win to its matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks at 5 p.m. Saturday in Mizzou Arena.