Mizzou Central

Mizzou Alters Student Seating Amidst Fan Backlash: The Buzz

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Brady Shanahan|
Dec 8, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; The Mizzou student section during the Missouri Tigers' game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Mizzou Arena.
Dec 8, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; The Mizzou student section during the Missouri Tigers' game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Mizzou Arena. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

Missouri Athletics recently made a change to its student seating arrangement at Mizzou Arena ahead of the 2025-2026 college basketball season. Fans got their first glimpse of the updated student section during the Tigers' exhibition game against Kansas State on Oct. 24.

The changes included removing several rows of seating, pushing the fans back further from the court, and raising them several feet above ground level. Many fans took issue with this, given the reduced seating capacity and the added distance between fans and the court. Many were concerned about the reduced impact of the fans due to the distance between the students and the court. Additionally, the raised platform made for an unsightly visual that few were pleased with.

The athletic department listened to the concerns and altered the seating to resemble that of past seasons. Members of the official Missouri student section and the Antlers were invited to Mizzou to get the first look at the latest updates.

The latest edition of the student seating was in use during the Tigers' women's basketball season-opening victory against Central Arkansas. Men's basketball will be in action for the first time of the season when the Tigers host Southeast Missouri State at 7 p.m. on Friday at Mizzou Arena.

Monday Mizzou Results

  • Men's Basketball defeated Howard 88-67 in Washington, D.C. — Stats
  • Women's Basketball defeated Central Arkansas 78-71 in Columbia — Stats

Did you notice?

  • Former women's basketball standout Hayley Frank was on the call for the Tigers' season opener. Frank played at Missouri from 2020 to 2024, earning 2 All-SEC Team selections while scoring over 2,000 career points for the Tigers.
  • SEC kickoff times are set for Nov. 15, which is the date of Missouri's final home game of the year. The Tigers will host Mississippi State at 7:45 p.m. ET or 6:45 p.m. CT at Faurot Field.
  • After the SEC Championship meet from this past weekend, women's cross country is ranked No. 4 in the region.
  • Men's cross country ranks as No. 6 in the region

Mizzou Quote of the Day:

[On if he was nervous executing a tick play:] “No, growing up I played baseball, so I know I could throw it.”
Punter Like Bauer

On This Day in Mizzou History:

November 4, 1939: Unranked Missouri defeated No. 10 Nebraska, 27-13, at Memorial Stadium for its first win against a ranked opponent.

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Published | Modified
Brady Shanahan
BRADY SHANAHAN

Brady Shanahan is a journalism student at the University of Missouri, and covers baseball and softball for Missouri Tigers On SI. He's from the St. Louis area and has contributed to The Maneater student newspaper, Columbia Missourian, KOMU 8, and KCOU as a beat reporter.