Both Missouri basketball teams have held their first official practices. The men play exhibitions at Kansas State (Oct. 23) and UNLV (Oct. 29) before opening against Cleveland State on Nov. 3. The women open against Howard on Nov. 2.
Missouri hosts Alcorn State on Nov. 18 and leads the all-time series 2-0. The Braves went 9-23 in Jake Morton's first season and 1-11 outside the SWAC, and Mizzou is 36-1 all-time against SWAC teams.
Missouri's men's team meets Pitt on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Mizzou women travel to Florida State two days later, tipping at 6 p.m. CT on ACC Network.
Elijah Limo (18:05.2) and Raymond Kipkoech (18:10.6) swept the top two spots at the Cyclone Preview in Ames, while Monica Wanjiku, Kobi Walker and Suzy Lecoutre placed 2nd-4th for the women. Both squads face longer distances Friday.
The SEC won all 16 of its Week 1 games, the conference's first perfect opening weekend since 1997. LSU rolled Clemson 51-10 in Lane Kiffin's debut and Ole Miss edged Louisville 41-38 in the weekend's lone ranked matchup.
Missouri's 16-game non-conference schedule features a neutral-site date with Kansas State in Kansas City, the Daytona Beach Classic and an ACC/SEC Challenge trip to Florida State. SEC play opens Dec. 31 against Mississippi State.
C.J. Gunn is enrolled at Missouri and on the basketball roster pending medical clearance, but his eligibility remains uncertain because he signed with and briefly played for a professional team in Canada before being cut.
Missouri begins the 2026 season at No. 25 in the preseason polls with a 6.5-win over/under. The Tigers face five preseason top-10 opponents in the back half of their schedule, making a fast 5-0 start critical to any playoff hopes.
Gates labeled the BYU transfer a combo guard, and the numbers back a secondary role: Davis averaged 0.993 points per pick-and-roll possession as a sophomore, an 84th-percentile mark, while shooting 35.5% on spot-ups.
The 6-6 Providence transfer ran nearly 41% of his possessions in transition and led the Friars with 3.9 per game, posting a 3.47 BPR. Cleaning up turnovers and half-court finishing is the path to a breakout at Missouri.
Kansas transfer Bryson Tiller, a 6-10 former five-star, hit just 27.5% of his catch-and-shoot 3s as a freshman but generated 1.438 points per possession as a cutter, suggesting his value near the rim rather than as a stretch five.
Former Missouri forward Mark Mitchell is transferring to Kentucky after a court ruling opened the door to a fifth season, a move that would bolster Mark Pope's roster if he's cleared to play.
Billed as a stretch big, Missouri's Trent Burns finished 1-of-13 from three on the season, with his lone make coming on a buzzer-beater before halftime against Florida. His rim protection is real, but consistent perimeter shooting is what would lock down his minutes.
Missouri's 7-foot-5 center Trent Burns went from six straight DNPs to start the year to a real rotation piece, posting a plus-19 with seven rebounds in 18 minutes against Vanderbilt before a four-point, seven-rebound, four-steal night in the Tigers' top-25 home win over Tennessee.
Missouri
75 - 93
BYU Cougars
Missouri
71 - 112
South Carolina
Oklahoma
84 - 78
Missouri
Missouri
55 - 108
LSU
Missouri
53 - 98
Tennessee