The Tigers pick up win No. 20, shaking Mizzou Arena for most of Wednesday night in the process.
In 1994, No. 12 Mizzou knocked off No. 4 Kansas on Feb. 20, launching the Tigers into the AP top 10. That season would go down as arguably the best in program history.
Almost exactly 31 years later, Mizzou once again toppled No. 4; this time around, it was Alabama who took the defeat. They fell 110-98 on “Throwback Night” at Mizzou Arena, which partied like it was 1994 all night long as their beloved men in black and gold cemented themselves amongst college basketball’s elite.
“Credit to our crowd. It was electric inside of Mizzou Arena tonight,” head coach Dennis Gates said. “Our guys just continue to feed off of it.”
Wednesday’s clash proved to be a track meet, one which saw the Crimson Tide catch up after the Tigers had held a comfy lead for most of the way. Even as Mizzou kept scoring, Alabama kept responding. But MU was able to seal the deal late, staving off the comeback and sending the home crowd home happy, even if they weren’t able to pour onto the hardwood like they did against Kansas.
With the game in-hand and the clock nearing zeroes, Gates called a timeout with 1.5 seconds left. He walked over to the PA announcer’s microphone and yelled “PLEASE DO NOT RUSH THE COURT”. This came after a message to MU students was sent via text, which said that they’d get free cover at MyHouse and Harpo’s if they didn’t rush the court as long as they wore the retro hat that Mizzou gave away on Wednesday.
“We need that money to go to NIL. We don’t need to be getting fines out there,” Gates said. “I hope that becomes a normal thing … I wasn’t trying to take any fun away from them.”
Mark Mitchell led the Tigers in scoring with a career-high of 31 points, surpassing the previous mark of 23 he set just one week ago against Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide didn’t have much of an answer for him around the basket, especially as he was able to isolate defenders in the post. Whether it was the 6-foot-11 Grant Nelson or the 6-foot-7 Mo Dioubate, Mitchell proved to be the alpha down low.
“I got some easy ones early to get me going,” Mitchell said. “Once you get going, it opens up, and you just have a feeling you can go get anything you want.”
However, it wasn’t just the big fella producing on offense.
Caleb Grill caught fire once again scoring 25 points. But in an intriguing twist, the hot hand wasn’t a product of elite 3-point shooting. Grill shot just 3-of-9 from beyond the arc; instead, most of his points came from two-pointers and free throws, as the marksman attacked the basket and was often rewarded. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for the fifth time in his career.
“I think (rebounding) is a strength of mine, but at the end of the day, it’s all about winning, and you want to get the ball more than the person that you’re going against,” Grill said. “I think my best trait as a player is winning and making winnings plays, and that’s what we needed late in the game.”
Fresh off of an electric performance against Georgia, Anthony Robinson II carried momentum into Wednesday. The sophomore registered 14 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting. Per usual, he also contributed a lot defensively, as both he and Grill recorded three steals. Superb team defense was a big reason why the Tigers electrified on Wednesday, and it began right from the get-go.
The Tigers started white-hot on both ends, defying the bitter cold outside en route to a 12-0 start to the contest. Mizzou was penetrating the paint easily, and when it didn’t get an open look at the rim, another white jersey cashed in a three-pointer courtesy of a kickout. After Tony Perkins canned a short corner jumper with 15:53 left in the first half, each Tiger starter had scored.
Better yet for Mizzou, it was able to continue playing like an 18-wheeler going downhill. Despite the crowd-rocking run by the home team, Alabama was eventually able to find life on offense — the Crimson Tide scored 46 points in the first half while shooting just over 60% from the field. However, the Crimson Tide were mired in discombobulation. On defense, active hands and crisp rotations by MU helped forced 10 Alabama turnovers in the first half, six more than Mizzou had. Mizzou also had a higher volume of shots, attempting eight more field goals and seven more free throws than the Crimson Tide.
Essentially, Alabama was efficient, but Mizzou was better in efficiency and volume. The Tigers shot a blistering 61.1% from the field, and mirroring that success was Mitchell, who scored 18 points on eight-of-11 shooting.
“He did a really good job of getting us in the paint, getting paint touches and finishing through contact,” Grill said. “When everybody’s playing like that, it’s a tough matchup for anybody.”
Mizzou also flourished in transition, often able to turn rebounds and turnovers into quick baskets. While that’s not unusual for the Tigers, they outran the Crimson Tide, who are pretty effective at playing up-tempo themselves. Mizzou finished with 21 points off of turnovers and 13 fastbreak points; the Tigers weren’t just able to survive the fast pace — they thrived.
The Tigers were on fire for most of the night — their 110 points were the most against a power conference opponent since Jan. 13, 1990, when they hung 111 on Nebraska. In fact, Mizzou was so hot that an actual fire started after the game was over. Thankfully, most everyone had left the arena at that point, and only a cloud of smoke hung over the lower bowl after the minor flames had been put out.
“Approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Wednesday’s Mizzou basketball game, a fire was reported in a suite at Mizzou Arena,” MU said in a statement. “It was quickly extinguished by staff and the fire suppression system, and the Columbia Fire Department and the University Police Department arrived on the scene shortly after. No injuries were reported.”
Just like all those years ago, the victory will catapult Mizzou in numerous fashions. Barring a loss to Arkansas on Saturday, the Tigers will likely end up in the top 10 of the AP poll. In a qualitative sense, Mizzou skyrocketed elsewhere: these Tigers are for real … even if the Tigers don’t think they’ve peaked quite yet.
“I still don’t think our team has played its very best,” Gates said. “But we’re going in a direction, steady, slowly, patiently, and we’re not leaving details behind. You can see our team growing.”
Mizzou will hit the road this weekend for a Battle Line Rivalry matchup with Arkansas. Tip-off from Fayetteville is set for 7 p.m. CST on Saturday.