Missouri Surging, LSU Searching as SEC Battle Looms in Baton Rouge
Missouri is riding high in the SEC, and they’re not just winning - they’re doing it with style and efficiency. After knocking off three of the conference’s more respected programs - Florida, Kentucky, and Auburn - the Tigers (13-4, 3-1 SEC) are firmly planted in a five-way tie atop the standings. Saturday, they’ll look to keep that momentum going on the road against an LSU squad still trying to find its first conference win.
Let’s start with what’s working for Missouri. The Tigers are leading the SEC in field goal percentage (51.6%), and that number isn’t inflated by a couple of hot shooting nights - it’s a reflection of how well this team is executing offensively.
In Wednesday’s 84-74 win over Auburn, they shot 56.3% from the floor. That’s not just efficient, that’s elite - especially against a team like Auburn that typically brings defensive intensity.
What stood out in that game was Missouri’s ability to respond when things got tight. After building a 13-point lead, they saw it shrink to just four in the final two minutes. But instead of folding, they closed strong - a sign of a team that’s growing in confidence and maturity.
Jayden Stone led the way with a season-high 22 points - his first time pacing the team in scoring this year. Since returning from a hand injury, he’s been on a tear, hitting 20 of his last 34 shots.
That’s the kind of efficiency that changes the dynamic of an offense. Add in Mark Mitchell, who’s now posted three straight 20-point games, and Trent Pierce, who chipped in a season-best 18 points in just his fourth game back from injury, and you’ve got a team that’s getting healthier and more dangerous by the week.
Head coach Dennis Gates summed it up nicely after the Auburn win: “What you see is a group of guys, a group of kids, continuing to get better day by day, week by week and practice by practice.” That growth is showing up on the scoreboard - even on a night when they left 10 points at the free-throw line and still managed to hold Auburn to just 6-of-21 from beyond the arc.
On the other side, LSU (12-5, 0-4 SEC) is still searching for answers. The Tigers have dropped four straight in conference play - to Texas A&M, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky - by a combined 25 points.
These aren’t blowouts, but they’re also not moral victories. LSU has been in position to win, but they haven’t been able to close.
Wednesday’s home loss to Kentucky was the most painful yet. LSU built an 18-point first-half lead, holding the Wildcats to just 26.7% shooting before halftime. But the second half was a different story - Kentucky shot a blistering 65.4% and walked it off with a buzzer-beating mid-range jumper from Malachi Moreno after LSU failed to defend a long inbounds pass.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t help get our guys across the finish line there,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said. “So, really proud of our players’ response.
We got a lot better the last couple days. Just crushed that we weren’t able to finish the deal.”
One major factor in LSU’s struggles: they’ve been without their leading scorer, Dedan Thomas Jr. (16.2 ppg), for all four SEC games due to a lower leg injury.
He’s listed as day-to-day, and his status for Saturday remains uncertain. If he can’t go, Pablo Tamba is expected to start again.
Without Thomas, LSU has leaned more on Max Mackinnon, who had 16 points against Kentucky but needed 16 shots to get there. He finished 4-of-16 from the field and hit just two of his seven three-point attempts. That kind of inefficiency makes it tough to keep pace with a high-powered offense like Missouri’s.
For LSU, Saturday’s matchup is about more than just getting in the win column - it’s about proving they can finish games against top-tier opponents. For Missouri, it’s a chance to keep climbing and show they can bring the same level of execution on the road that they’ve shown at home.
One team is surging. The other is searching. We’ll see which narrative holds when the ball tips in Baton Rouge.