Missouri wasted no time setting the tone against Cleveland State, and this one never really came back to earth. The Tigers ripped off the first 23 points before the Vikings finally got on the board, then kept stretching the gap in a game that felt controlled from start to finish. By the time it was over, Mizzou had rolled to a 111-50 win and sent a clear message about how it wants to play: hard, fast, and with authority.
What made this one stand out wasn’t just the margin. It was the way Missouri kept building on it.
In last year’s meeting, the Tigers opened with a huge burst too, but the rest of the game settled into something much more ordinary. This time, there was no real letup.
The lead kept growing, even if the second half slowed a bit, and Cleveland State never found a stretch long enough to make it interesting. The Vikings’ best run of the night was only five points.
That matters because Cleveland State wasn’t some helpless opponent. The source of this game made that point plainly: the Vikings are well coached, and they’re going to win some games.
They just ran into a Missouri team that looked overwhelming in every phase. If you were looking for a comparison, this had the feel of those Florida State teams under Leonard Hamilton - length, disruption, and pressure everywhere.
Missouri’s BCI win was an absurd 8.5 to 1.07.
The numbers told the same story. Missouri and Cleveland State each had the same number of offensive rebounds, but the Tigers owned the glass in the ways that actually matter.
Missouri posted a 41% offensive rebounding rate and held the Vikings to 28%. Inside the arc, the Tigers were even sharper, shooting 73.7%, which was the third-best 2-point percentage for Missouri under Dennis Gates.
The shooting from deep helped set the tone early, too. Gates teams tend to make life easier on themselves when they hit four of their first six from three, and that’s exactly what happened here. Once that kind of start lands, a double-digit lead usually isn’t far behind.
Cleveland State didn’t exactly implode, either. The Vikings were simply buried by turnovers, missed enough outside shots to keep the game from tightening, and had trouble at the rim. Toni Bryant had a lot to do with that.
On the individual side, Jason Crowe, Jr. delivered the kind of performance you’d want from a lead guard, even if the assist-to-turnover balance wasn’t perfect. He finished with 23 points on 16 shots, just two turnovers, and two assists, and his +51 while on the floor was the kind of number that jumps off the page. Still, he didn’t crack the top three in Adjusted GameScore because Missouri had so many players contributing.
Mark Mitchell was one of the biggest stories of the night. Gates said after the game that he had to force Mitchell into the primary role last season, with some cajoling, and this time around Mitchell’s passing was a major part of the offense.
With no true point guard or secondary ball handler in the lineup, that skill mattered even more than usual. A 10-assist game to open the season was not something many people saw coming, but Mitchell delivered it.
Bryant, meanwhile, gave Missouri exactly the kind of start fans were hoping for. He’s still a work in progress, but the talent is obvious, and the formula is simple enough: threes, lobs, rebounds, blocks. That was enough for him to earn KenPom MVP honors.
Kennard Davis, Jr. also looked right at home. The line from the source said it best: “Welcomem back home Kennard Davis, Jr.” He won’t shoot 184 offensively all season, but he was excellent here, making the right read more than once and finding the extra pass for a better shot.
Bryson Tiller’s role also came into focus. After some confusion in the exhibitions, the game against Cleveland State showed what Missouri wants from him: use the strength, finish plays, attack the rim, and don’t worry about being a facilitator.
He opened by going right to the basket, which is exactly the kind of first touch the Tigers wanted to see. He also grabbed nine boards.
Gates said after the game that he feels like this team has seven starters, and the rotation backed that up. Jason Crowe, Jr., Tiller, Mitchell, Bryant, Trent Pierce, Jamier Jones, and Davis all fit that description.
If Jaylen Carey sorts things out, Missouri could have a solid eight-man rotation, with Cord Stansberry and Trent Burns deeper on the bench and Aidan Chronister returning once he’s healthy. The minutes played out that way, too, with the top seven clearly established before the game got out of hand.
There are still usage questions to sort through against better teams. Mitchell may end up closer to 20-23%, Crowe may settle just under 30%, and Pierce’s 28.3% is on the high side, though he was getting open looks from three, including one rough attempt. But for one night, none of that mattered much.
Missouri finished with a 100 GameScore as a team, played clean team basketball, and walked out with a runaway win. Next up is SLU.
In Other News...
Ahmad Hardys Mizzou Return Came After A Comeback Few Saw Coming
Ahmad Hardys path back to the field for Missouri was anything but ordinary. Shot in the leg in May and forced into surgery that placed a metal rod in his femur, the running back spent months working through rehab before finally making it back for Halloween, when he took part in the Tigers win over Arkansas.
For a Missouri team that has leaned on toughness all season, Hardys return carried real weight beyond the box score. Eli Drinkwitz made clear how much the staff valued both the recovery itself and the way Hardy was able to contribute once he was back on the field, a reminder of how much had to go right just for this moment to happen. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzous 2027 Offense Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Missouris offensive outlook for 2027 got a major boost with Austin Simmons back in the fold, giving the Tigers a proven starting quarterback to build around as they keep shaping the roster for the future. Simmons arrived in Columbia after three seasons at Ole Miss and has already started eight games this season, enough to make him one of the most important pieces in Missouris long-range plans.
The arrangement still leaves some uncertainty, though, since his contract gives him the option to enter the 2027 NFL Draft if that path becomes available. Even so, Missouri now has a clearer picture at the most important position, and with several other skill-position players also eligible for 2027, the offense suddenly has a much more defined core to work with. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Just Got A Much Tougher SLU Problem Than Expected
What had looked like a straightforward early-season matchup for Missouri has suddenly become more complicated. St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Jason Sengheiser granted Robbie Avila an injunction that gives him a fifth year of eligibility and blocks the NCAA from using roster limits to keep him off the floor, and Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz confirmed Avila will be dressed and available for the Billikens upcoming game against Missouri.
For a Tigers team already preparing for a cross-town test, the timing matters. Avilas case mirrors that of Mark Mitchell, who also received a court allowance to return to the Saint Louis roster, adding another layer of uncertainty to a game that now carries a little more intrigue than expected. [Read more 🡒]