Caleb Grill Ruled Out of Mizzou's Matchup vs. Cal on Tuesday

Dennis Gates confirmed that the Tigers' leading scorer will miss the SEC/ACC Challenge.

Nov. 11, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Caleb Grill (31) during a game against the Eastern Washington Eagles at Mizzou Arena. / Amber WInkler/MissouriOnSI

Coach Dennis Gates officially ruled senior Caleb Grill out of Missouri's SEC/ACC Challenge against Cal on Tuesday.

Grill sustained a neck injury after a scary collision during the Tigers' win over Lindenwood on Wednesday, but avoided serious injury after being discharged from the hospital that night. Still, it's enough to keep the guard on day-to-day availability.

"I can comfortably sit and say to you guys and everyone out there (that) he's in great spirits, but he will not be playing," Gates said.

Once he arrived to the hospital, Grill spent the majority of his time there watching the game from his phone. As soon as he was released, he called Gates at 2 a.m. to affirm that he was good to go and "jogging in place."

Gates called it a testament to Grill's character, but the team wants to take precautions to ensure that he fully recovers from the injury before suiting up again.

"I'm very thankful for a young man to obviously have the positive news that we got from that situation, wasn't a great sight to see at all," Gates said. "I credit our team of doctors, team of trainers and our EMS team as well."

Grill currently leads Missouri with 13.6 points per game on 60/55/75% shooting splits. He's been one of the focal points of the offense, helping the Tigers jump out to a 6-1 record and several double-digit wins.

Getting past the Golden Bears gets a little tougher without him, but Gates is confident his team can do it by committee.

"The things that he does ... is part of our identity," Gates said. "We have guys willing to do the labor, and that's the most important part, but we just want him to have a speedy recovery."

Marques Warrick and Tony Perkins stepped up against Lindenwood when Grill went down, and will be some of the players expected to continue to hold up the offense without him.

Since the injury, Grill has continued to be an active participant not on the court, but around his teammates to rally them for a tough matchup against Cal. He has a chance to play against Kansas on Sunday, but for now, he'll remain on the sideline.

"Not being able to suit up, it's one of those things where I know he wants to, but it's not one of those things that he'll be clear to do at this moment," Gates said.

The Tigers will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday against the Golden Lions at Mizzou Arena.