Missouri left Manhattan with an exhibition win, and that alone made it a notable night. The Tigers beat Kansas State 71-67 in Bramlage, where a Missouri win has been rare since February of 2004. The game didn’t count, Kansas State is expected to be one of the Big 12’s weaker teams, and Bramlage wasn’t full - but for Missouri, the result still carried some bite.
Dennis Gates spent the night mixing and matching almost nonstop. Everyone got into the game except Jaylen Carey, Nicholas Randall, and CJ Gunn.
Trent Burns played 3 minutes, Luke Northweather 4, Aaron Rowe 5, and Jamier Jones 8. Mark Mitchell logged 16 minutes and didn’t make a shot, while Trent Pierce played just 15 minutes and scored 10 points.
Mitchell was gone for the final 10 minutes, and Pierce sat for the final 12, with Missouri leaning on a late group that included Jason Crowe, Jr., Kennard Davis, Jr., Aidan Chronister, Cord Stansberry, Toni Bryant, and Bryson Tiller. After Mitchell exited for good, Missouri made five substitutions.
The point was obvious: get the younger guys some real closing-time reps on the road.
Jason Crowe, Jr. was the biggest reason Missouri could feel good about the night. The 5-star McDonald’s All American put up 21 points on 18 shots, added 5 assists and 3 steals, and kept his turnovers to just a couple.
He wasn’t sharp from three, hitting only one of six, but plenty else in his game showed up. There were also stretches where he looked like a freshman point guard still sorting out when to attack and when to settle down.
A few of those possessions got messy fast. Even so, Crowe mostly looked the part.
Mitchell’s line was quieter, and not just because he missed every shot. The fifth-year senior looked rusty, which isn’t a major surprise given the process of getting fully settled in.
He’s still the Missouri player least likely to cause long-term concern here. His role may take some time to crystallize, but a night like this figures to be an outlier more than a warning sign.
The most encouraging stretch may have come on defense. Missouri didn’t have everything going offensively, but the Tigers defended well for most of the night.
They started a little unevenly, then tightened up the rest of the first half and used the defense to create separation early in the second. Blocks, steals, deflections - they were all part of the picture.
Toni Bryant had the kind of night freshmen often have. He played 24 minutes and finished with 6 points on 2-for-6 shooting, including 1 of 4 from deep.
Two of those perimeter looks were the kind you’d rather he pass up, especially when the catch wasn’t clean or there was hesitation. Still, he brought energy defensively and blocked 2 shots.
The next step is doing more on the glass.
Bryson Tiller’s offense was rough, but there were reasons to stay interested. He scored poorly, turned the ball over 5 times, and is still working through that end of the floor.
But he already looks like a useful defender and a physical presence inside. He grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked 5 shots, which is a hard line to ignore.
Dennis Gates has usually been good at finding the right offensive fit for his players, and Tiller’s role in that area is still taking shape. The defensive side, though, is already giving Missouri something to build on.
In the end, that was the story of the night: a strange exhibition, a heavy dose of lineups, not much from the veterans, and a win patched together with three freshmen on the floor late. Missouri will take it.
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Mizzou's Unusual Size Puts One Big Pressure On Dennis Gates
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The challenge, of course, is turning all that length into something more than a neat talking point. New transfers Bryson Tiller and Jaylen Carey add versatility and rebounding, while returning pieces like Mark Mitchell and Trent Pierce give Missouri a familiar core, but Gates has made it clear the formula still comes down to defense, the glass and development. With this much size in one room, the real question is how well the Tigers can make it fit. [Read more 🡒]
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Rodriguezs best work has come with the Tigers needing it most, including a standout effort against Florida that earned him SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He has also landed on The Sporting News 2026 midseason All-America team, a fitting nod for a player whose impact goes well beyond the box score and has made him the heartbeat of Missouris defense. [Read more 🡒]