Missouri is loading up its nonconference schedule, and Dennis Gates is making no secret of why.
The Tigers are set to play seven high-profile nonconference games this season, a jump from four last year, and they’ve also expanded their neutral-site slate from two games to five. That means more chances to face top opponents away from the comfort of Mizzou Arena, with the early portion of the schedule built to test a young roster in different settings.
Two of those first four games in November come at neutral sites in places that matter to the program’s reach. Missouri will face St.
Louis in St. Louis and Marquette in Chicago, giving the Tigers games in the backyard Gates specifically wanted to target.
"I wanted to kind of be in our backyard, but also where our alumni base is as well (in) Chicago, you look at St. Louis, you look at Kansas City," Gates said at Monday's media day. "That gives us opportunities to play in those environments."
Last season’s setup was less ambitious. Missouri played four Power Four teams in nonconference play, with the familiar dates against Illinois and Kansas plus games against Minnesota and Notre Dame, and both of those latter opponents finished with losing records. The Tigers then went 2-0 in SEC play before stumbling through four losses in six games, and when the postseason moved to neutral courts, they came up short in both the SEC tournament and the NCAA tournament.
This time, the approach is different by design.
"Ultimately, when you look at administration, they wanted a more quote-unquote strength of schedule," Gates said. "When you look at the opportunities that I looked at, it had to be intentional. It had to be with some type of detail."
The meat of Missouri’s nonconference schedule arrives in a heavy December stretch. After those two early tests, the Tigers get a four-game pause before diving into five straight games from Dec. 1 through Dec. 20 that should reveal plenty about where the team stands before SEC play begins.
That run includes Pitt, No. 17 Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana and No.
3 Illinois. Nebraska drew the second-most votes among teams outside the AP Top 25, behind Missouri, while Indiana received eight votes.
The schedule is also coming at a time when Missouri is leaning on a young core. Jason Crowe Jr. and Toni Bryant are among the freshmen expected to matter right away, while Bryson Tiller and Jamier Jones are projected sophomore starters. Gates sees the early gauntlet as a chance for that group to learn fast.
"Not only are we going against great players, we're going against great coaches. We're not as experienced as these teams that we're playing (in) nonconference," Gates said.
"We'll bump our heads, we'll make mistakes, but how will we respond in those educational moments? It'll either be a coffin or a classroom, and it's up to us to figure out which direction we handle our adversities."
The first real measuring stick comes almost immediately. Missouri opens the regular season at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 against Cleveland State at Mizzou Arena, then turns around for a matchup with Saint Louis two nights later.
That SLU game is one Gates made clear carries extra meaning. The Billikens reached the second round of March Madness last season, and Missouri will meet them at 6 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2026, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
"A game against SLU, a game that only happened three times out of the last 47, 48 years, that's important for our state, that's important for our future students, that's important for our alumni," Gates said.
In Other News...
Mizzous Ole Miss Loss Exposed Problems Tigers Fans Know Too Well
Missouris 31-3 loss to Ole Miss was more than a bad night on the scoreboard. It brought back the same familiar frustrations Tigers fans have seen before: inconsistent line play on both sides of the ball, missed tackles that turned routine snaps into bigger gains, and an offense that could not finish drives once it got near the end zone. The numbers behind it only deepened the concern, with the Tigers getting little done up front and even less to slow the Rebels quarterback.
The bigger issue is how much of this looked like a repeat rather than a one-off. Missouri struggled to generate pressure, had trouble closing on ball carriers, and never found a rhythm in the red zone, which left the game feeling out of reach long before the final whistle. For a team trying to prove it has turned a corner, the performance raised the same question it always seems to at this point in the season: how quickly can these problems actually be fixed? [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Hoops Has An Early Chance To Silence Doubters
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The upside is that the calendar is loaded with chances to earn that respect. Missouris non-conference slate and SEC grind both include ranked opponents, giving the Tigers multiple chances to make a statement before the picture around the league settles in. Around the athletic department, there is no shortage of activity either, from footballs Oct. 31 trip to Arkansas set for a 6:45 p.m. CST kickoff on SEC Network to updates on former Mizzou players in the NFL and steady progress in tennis, volleyball and swimming. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzous Bye Week Just Became Crucial For A Battered Roster
Missouris loss to Ole Miss did more than damage the standings, it left the Tigers with a battered roster and a long injury report to sort through. By the end of the night, 24 players were listed on the SEC injury report, a sign of just how physical the game was and how much this team has been absorbing as the season wears on. Head coach Eliah Drinkwitz and several players both pointed to the toll of the schedule, which makes the timing of the upcoming bye week especially important.
The extra time off now gives Missouri a chance to reset before returning to play Oct. 31 against Arkansas. For a team already dealing with multiple players pushing through injuries, the break arrives at a crucial moment, offering a window to recover, regroup and see who can get closer to full strength before the next stretch begins. [Read more 🡒]