Missouri wrapped up its non-conference slate with a humbling 91-48 loss to Illinois in the Braggin’ Rights game, and now sits at 10-3 overall. As SEC play looms, it’s time to take a closer look at how Dennis Gates’ roster has performed by position group - and let’s just say, there’s work to be done.
GUARDS: F - Searching for Answers
There’s no sugarcoating it - the Tigers’ backcourt has underwhelmed. Yes, there have been flashes, but consistency has been hard to find, and the group as a whole hasn’t delivered at the level expected for a team with postseason aspirations.
Take Anthony Robinson II. A year ago, he earned SEC All-Defensive Team honors and looked poised for a breakout season.
Gates hoped Robinson would elevate into an All-SEC performer. Instead, his impact has dipped.
His steal rate, while still solid at 4.5%, is down from 5.1% last season - and that drop matters, especially when the Tigers rely on him to set the tone defensively. His defensive BPR (a metric that measures a player's on-court defensive value) has slipped from 3.80 to 2.85, per EvanMiya.com, and that decline has shown up in the Tigers’ inability to string together stops.
Offensively, Robinson has taken on more responsibility but hasn’t found the efficiency to match. He’s shooting 43.7% from the field, 34.1% from three, and just under 70% from the line.
His assist-to-turnover ratio has taken a hit as well. It’s not that he’s been poor - he’s still a capable player - but he hasn’t been the engine Missouri needs at the point.
The rest of the guard rotation hasn’t done much to steady the ship. Sebastian Mack had a breakout performance against Illinois, dropping 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and a perfect 3-for-3 from deep.
But that game was more of an outlier than a sign of things to come. Before that, Mack had mostly been a downhill driver who struggled to finish or create for others.
Sophomores T.O. Barrett and Annor Boateng have shown incremental growth, but neither has moved the needle in a meaningful way.
Jayden Stone started the year hot but hasn’t been available for the Tigers’ toughest tests. And freshman Aaron Rowe has yet to log a minute.
Bottom line: Missouri needs more from this group - more consistency, more shot-making, more playmaking, and a lot more defensive bite.
FORWARDS: B for Mitchell and Crews, F for the Rest - Top-Heavy Talent
Here’s where things get interesting. Missouri’s forward group has two clear standouts - Mark Mitchell and Jacob Crews - and then a steep drop-off.
Mitchell has been every bit the offensive anchor Missouri hoped he’d be. He’s averaging 17.2 points per game, converting a blistering 64.7% of his two-point attempts, and living at the free-throw line.
He’s been the guy who puts on the cape when the offense stalls - and that’s happened a lot. What’s more, he’s improved as a passer, with his assist rate jumping to 17.1%, a sign of better decision-making when defenses collapse on him.
Defensively, Mitchell’s taken a slight step back - a common trade-off for players shouldering a heavy offensive load - but he’s picked up the slack on the glass, becoming a more reliable rebounder. As a preseason All-SEC selection, he’s delivered exactly what was expected.
Then there’s Jacob Crews, who’s quietly become one of the most dangerous shooters in the conference. Gates challenged him before the season to hit 100 threes - and while he might fall just short, he’s still on pace for around 90.
That’s no small feat. He’s hitting a career-best 51.4% from deep on nearly six attempts per game, good for 24th nationally per KenPom.
That kind of shooting stretches defenses and opens up space for everyone else.
Crews has also made strides as a rebounder, pulling down 4.7 boards per game. Defensively, he’s still a work in progress, but the improvement is noticeable - and that matters for a team that needs every bit of help on that end.
Unfortunately, the rest of the forward rotation hasn’t kept pace. Jevon Porter and Nicholas Randall haven’t shown they’re ready for high-major minutes, and Trent Pierce has yet to suit up due to a lower-body injury. Outside of Mitchell and Crews, Gates hasn’t had much to lean on.
BIGS: F - Athleticism Without Impact
If there’s one area that’s consistently held Missouri back, it’s the frontcourt. The Tigers’ big men simply haven’t been able to impose their will - not on the boards, not at the rim, and not in the paint.
Shawn Phillips Jr. might be the most athletic big Missouri’s had under Gates, but that athleticism hasn’t translated into production. Against high-major opponents, he’s averaging just 4.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 18.5 minutes per game.
He’s had a few standout games against mid-majors, but those came against smaller, less physical opponents. In the SEC, that won’t cut it.
Luke Northweather has shown growth - his three-point shooting (44.8%) has helped space the floor and given the offense a different look. But he’s still not doing enough of the traditional big-man work to warrant heavier minutes. He’s averaging just 3.5 rebounds and 0.2 blocks per game - numbers that reflect his limitations defensively and on the glass.
Trent Burns, back from injury, hasn’t shown enough in his limited minutes to earn a bigger role, and the coaching staff clearly isn’t ready to trust him in high-leverage situations.
That leaves Gates with a tough decision: play small and sacrifice size, or keep hoping one of these bigs figures it out during SEC play. Neither option is ideal, but something has to give.
Final Thoughts
Missouri’s 10-3 record looks solid on paper, but the Braggin’ Rights blowout loss to Illinois exposed some real cracks. The Tigers have two reliable forwards in Mitchell and Crews, but the backcourt and frontcourt rotations remain unsettled. If Missouri wants to make noise in the SEC, it’ll need more from its guards, more toughness from its bigs, and more consistency across the board.
There’s talent on this roster - but the margin for error shrinks in conference play. The Tigers can’t afford to keep relying on just two players to carry the load.