Another week in Columbia brought the full Mizzou menu: men’s hoops, women’s hoops, wrestling, volleyball, and football all took their turns in the spotlight. The results were mixed, but there were plenty of moments worth circling.
The loudest start came on Election Day, when Mizzou men’s basketball opened its season with a 111-50 rout of Cleveland State and former Mizzou staffer Rob Summers. Toni Bryant finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks, Mark Mitchell posted 11 points, five rebounds and 10 assists, and Kennard Davis, Jr. added 19 points and four rebounds. Freshman Jason Crowe, Jr. turned in the night’s best plus-minus at +51, while scoring 23 points with three rebounds and two assists.
Wrestling also made a statement at the Missouri Duals, where Brian Smith’s Tigers dropped only three duals across matches against Central Methodist, Maryville and Central Missouri. It was a strong showing overall from the 20 Mizzou wrestlers who competed, but Smith still had his eyes on the details afterward.
“We weren’t very good in a lot of situations, just guys not trusting their shape,” Smith said. “They figured it out at some point in the match, but they’ve got to have that trust from the beginning.
But those are things we can work on. We had a leg a million times and didn’t get turns.
We had turks and didn’t get turns, so those are the things my wheels are turning about, that we’ve got to be better in those positions.”
Volleyball had a packed week too, and Hearnes drew a crowd of more than 3,600 for a hard-fought match against No. 13 Texas. Mizzou pushed the Longhorns, but fell in three straight sets, 25-27, 13-25 and 23-25.
Then came a matchup that had a little extra meaning. For the first time in 25 years, Mizzou and SLU met again, and for one writer who grew up going to Billikens games, it was a personal one.
The Tigers lost, but the game still carried the kind of energy that comes when two familiar worlds finally collide again. SLU looked like the more connected team, bringing back 4/5 starters, while Mizzou is still sorting through a roster that includes two 5-star freshmen, six incoming transfers and a late addition in Mark Mitchell.
Saturday’s football game against Texas brought another tough outcome. Margo and Dan were both on hand to capture the Tigers against the Longhorns, but Missouri fell 34-20, a result that effectively ended the Tigers’ College Football Playoff hopes. The photos told their own version of the afternoon, but they couldn’t change the scoreboard.
The week did end on a high note for volleyball. After the loss to Texas, Mizzou bounced back by sweeping the defending national champions, No.
17 Texas A&M, 25-20, 25-21, 25-23. Kimani Johnson powered the defensive effort with 11 kills and a .526 hitting percentage, and the win marked the Tigers’ first sweep of a ranked opponent since October 2023.
It was also just the second victory over a defending national champion in program history.
Eva Smith said the response came from how the team handled the setback against Texas.
“After that loss, everybody was pretty upset. It was a bad loss. So we used that and it pushed us to want to be more hungry to play this game and take care of business.”
In Other News...
Eli Drinkwitz Owned What Really Undid Mizzou Against Texas
The conversation around Missouris 34-20 loss to Texas has centered on the kind of call that can dominate a postgame discussion, but Eli Drinkwitz pointed the focus back where he thought it belonged. Missouris defense had too many communication breakdowns, especially in coverage assignments, and those mistakes helped open the door for Texas to create scoring chances. For a team that wanted to make a statement in a matchup like that, the missed details on the back end proved costly.
Drinkwitz didnt try to hide from it after the game, choosing instead to frame the loss as one of missed opportunities rather than officiating. That matters for Missouri because it shifts the attention from a controversial fumble ruling involving Arch Manning to the larger issue of execution, which is where the Tigers have to clean things up if they want to turn close games into wins. [Read more 🡒]
SEC Defends Officiating As Missouri Fallout Keeps Growing
The fallout from Missouris Week 10 loss to Texas has stretched well beyond the final whistle, with the SEC now spending as much time defending its officiating process as explaining the call itself. Commissioner Greg Sankey pushed back on the public criticism that followed the game, arguing that broadcasters should not be so quick to question rulings without having the full picture, while also acknowledging how hard it is to expect perfection from officials every week.
For Missouri, the larger issue is less about one controversial moment than what comes next for a program and fan base that still want answers. Sankey said the league is continuing discussions about making the review process more transparent, a sign the conference knows the scrutiny is not going away anytime soon. Even with the explanation, the sense around Columbia is that the conversation around that game is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Luther Burden III Delivered A Highlight Missouri Fans Couldn't Fully Enjoy
Luther Burden III gave Missouri fans a moment worth replaying on Sunday Night Football, hauling in a touchdown catch that flashed the kind of playmaking ability that made him one of the most electric Tigers to come through Columbia. It was the sort of highlight that travels fast and reminds Missouri supporters how much talent he brings to the biggest stages.
The celebration, though, came with a concern attached, as Burden later left the game because of a possible concussion. For a fan base already juggling plenty of fall and winter storylines, it was another reminder that the joy of seeing former Tigers shine can turn quickly into something far more uneasy. Missouri football now turns toward a tough matchup with Georgia as a sizable underdog, while the basketball team and volleyball program keep adding their own layers to the season. [Read more 🡒]