No. 15 Mizzou's Winning Streak Snapped at Arkansas in Close Battle

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The lyrics of Chris Stapleton's track, aptly titled "Arkansas", sounded through Bud Walton Arena as the No. 15-ranked Missouri Tigers challenged the Arkansas Razorbacks in a pivotal road matchup Saturday night.

"If you wanna get down, gotta get down to Arkansas."

It wasn't quite the fun the song advertised for Missouri, as Arkansas' 51-point second half helped bring it a 92-85 win. A Razorbacks team desperately fighting for a bid in the NCAA Tournament was bound to be a dangerous encounter, and they proved that with a comeback from a seven-point deficit at halftime.

The loss snaps Missouri's three-game winning streak, bringing it to 20-7 record overall and 9-5 in the Southeastern Conference. Meanwhile, Arkansas jumps to a 16-11 record and 5-9 in the SEC — earning a much-needed victory.

Though Mark Mitchell didn't explode for 20+ points again (as has become the norm over the previous three games), he led the Tigers in scoring with 17 points and seven rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting. Between Marques Warrick's 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting on 3-pointers and and Jacob Crews' 10 points, they received strong production within the bench unit.

"They carried us in the first half, as you guys saw that. That's why I went back with them to start the second," coach Dennis Gates said on Warrick and Crews. "Being able to get back depth, meaning points off the bench, that's a something. That's a statement for us."

Feb 22, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Marques Warrick (1) celebrates with teammates after making a three-point shot at the end of the first quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Caleb Grill trailed off in the second half and struggled with just 2-of-12 from 3-point range, but his 13 points still played a factor. Most of the time he had open looks and the right opportunities, but uncharacteristically, the shots just weren't finding the bottom of the net.

"I thought he did a good job taking the ones that was open and for him to be able to knock that down," Gates said on Grill's struggles. "In that second half, I thought the ball just didn't fall for him, and they were open."

The offensive issues didn't come down to individual performances, but rather a few different areas. Despite a 50% first half from behind the arc, Missouri dropped off with 12-of-35 shooting by the end of the night, and even if it made six more attempts, the efficiency held things back. It's usual strength of free-throw shooting wasn't apparent either, getting to charity stripe far less with 13 made attempts to the Razorbacks' 28.

"To not be able to come away with fouls ... I mean, that was tough to see," Gates said. "We drew 18 fouls, if you look at the stat sheet, they drew 26, 27, and was able to get 37 free-throw attempts. It is what it is."

Feb 22, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Mark Mitchell (25) shoots a free throw during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Turnovers were also a detrimental issue for the Tigers, finishing with a total of 18 that included more than a few loose balls. Arkansas took full advantage of that and made it a key separator, scoring 30 points off the turnovers. They did win the offensive rebounding category 17-8 even without the services of Josh Gray, but their 17 second chance points weren't enough to even things out.

"(Arkansas) was very disruptive in passing lanes and guarding the ball," Warrick said. "We had a few backcourt type turnovers on the launch pass, and like I said, disruption, never nervous. It was a lot of, like coach (Gates) said, self-infliction."

The Razorbacks were without its second-leading scorer, Boogie Fland, this time around, but several of its player found an offensive rhythm. Zvonimir Ivisic's led the team with 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Johnell Davis's points on 5-of-11 shooting weren't too far behind.

At first, it took some time for the Tigers to settle into the tough road environment the Razorbacks present. An early three turnovers helped put them down 9-4 at the 15:58 mark, as two drives into the paint for Mark Mitchell resulted in the ball being stripped away. Right after the break, two more turnovers occurred.

Once Grill started to get on a roll, things moved in a different direction. At the 11:54 mark, the guard already accumulated 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting through a few solid looks, while Tamar Bates knocked down two straight 3-pointers to tie the score up at 25-25 with 8:28 remaining in the half.

After a Warrick 3-pointer and second chance bucket from Tony Perkins shortly thereafter, Arkansas called its first timeout of the night at the 7:09 mark. It renergized the home team for a couple minutes, but Missouri kept on tagging points. A 3-pointer and inside jumper on back-to-back possessions from Crews put it up 39-32 with 3:04 to go.

Another triple from Warrick — this time from way deep — as the halftime buzzer sounded brought the Tigers to a 48-41 lead heading into the locker room. Both he, Grill and Crews all finished the first 20 minutes in double figures, shooting a combined 6-of-12 from deep.

Out of the gates of the second half, however, the Razorbacks played with much more intensity. By the 15:33 mark, they gained a 55-54 lead after Davis sank two free throw opportunities and their 3-pointers started to fall. Largely from then on, both teams were neck and neck.

Arkansas gained some separation with a 72-65 lead at the 7:40 mark, however, after back to back triples and a dunk from Adou Thiero forced Missouri to call a timeout. It continued a strong offensive pace after the break, and its crowd was back in full-force.

The Tigers never backed down until the very end, but the Razorbacks applied too much offensive pressure for them to claw their way back and steal a win on the road. A Grill 3-point attempt nearly put it within two points with 30 seconds remaining, but it clanked off the rim instead.

Missouri will look to rebound against the South Carolina Gamecocks at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Mizzou Arena.

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