For those who thought Mizzou men’s basketball would have an easy time recovering at home from its road loss to LSU last week, think again. Two highly contested matchups — against then-No. 21 Georgia and unranked Oklahoma — graced the floor at Mizzou Arena.
Both games came down to the wire, with Missouri coming out on top in one and falling short in the other. The Tigers dropped a back-and-forth contest to then-No. 21 Georgia, 74-72, marking Mizzou’s first home loss of the season.
Saturday proved to be just as — if not more — intense. Junior Trent Pierce hit a buzzer-beater to tie the game at 81 and send Missouri and Oklahoma into overtime. With 4.8 seconds left in the extra period and no Missouri timeouts remaining, Xzayvier Brown sank a close-range floater that appeared to seal the game for the Sooners. But senior Mark Mitchell sprinted the length of the floor after the ensuing inbound and buried Missouri’s second buzzer-beater of the game over two Oklahoma defenders as time expired, lifting the Tigers to an 88-87 win.
Now, Missouri faces a familiar challenge: a road matchup. LSU and Ole Miss, the Tigers’ two road losses, are arguably less formidable than the ranked Crimson Tide team Missouri will face Tuesday. Still, Mizzou’s lone road win came in historic fashion at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena, leaving plenty of uncertainty about how the Tigers will respond.
“When it comes down to it, we face a home team that’s going to be very difficult to play in the environment that they have at home,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said.
Bediako remains eligible, restraining order extended
A storyline drawing attention across college athletics is the return of 7-footer Charles Bediako to Alabama after three years of professional play.
Alabama requested that Bediako be allowed to use his final semester of eligibility, but the NCAA denied the request due to multiple professional contracts he signed while playing in the G League. Bediako filed a complaint in Tuscaloosa Circuit Court and was granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA.
Bediako returned to the court Saturday in Alabama’s 79-73 loss to Tennessee under the restraining order. A hearing scheduled for Tuesday was postponed after a Tuscaloosa Circuit Court judge cited travel concerns for an NCAA attorney from Tennessee.
The delay extends the restraining order by another 10 days, allowing Bediako to remain eligible for Tuesday’s game against Missouri, as well as upcoming matchups against Florida and Texas A&M. A new hearing date has not yet been set.
“I support Bediako,” Gates said. “I want to be very clear, though. I support freedom of movement for all athletes within college athletics.”
Bediako and Missouri center Shawn Phillips Jr. share history from the 2022-23 season, when Phillips played at LSU and Bediako was at Alabama. The two have faced each other twice in their collegiate careers, but are expected to log increased minutes compared to their other showings Tuesday.
Can rising Mizzou handle falling Alabama?
Despite two losses before Saturday’s dramatic win, Missouri appears to be trending upward following sophomore T.O. Barrett’s career performance and the double-buzzer-beater victory against Oklahoma. No. 23 Alabama, meanwhile, has slipped in the rankings and dropped recent home games, including Saturday’s loss to Tennessee.
“T.O. Barrett has done a tremendous job just being ready for the moment,” Gates said. “That’s all you can ask players to do.”
Before falling to Tennessee, Alabama edged Oklahoma 83-81 on Jan. 17. Earlier this season, the Crimson Tide handled Kentucky 89-74 at home.
Alabama has now lost two SEC games at home — to Tennessee and Texas — while Missouri has struggled away from home, with losses at LSU and Ole Miss.
“We’re facing a team that has had two straight home losses, and that’s not very common in Nate Oats’ era,” Gates said. “My job is preparing my team.”
Mitchell has led Missouri consistently, posting his second double-double of the season Saturday with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Barrett added a career-high 21 points, while graduate Jayden Stone finished with 20.
Alabama is led by Labaron Philon, who is averaging 22.2 points and five assists per game. Aden Holloway follows at 17.7 points and 3.6 assists, while Amari Allen leads the Tide on the boards with 7.8 rebounds per game.
Missouri will travel to face No. 23 Alabama at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
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