Missouri Looks To Rebound At Home Against No. 25 Arkansas

The Tigers have lost three of their last four matchups.

Every program will go through a rough patch during a 31-game season on the hardwood. That could be the way the Missouri men's basketball team has to look at its recent struggles since the start of the new year. 

The Tigers have lost three of their last four games, including a pair on the road to unranked Texas A&M and Florida. At one point, Mizzou earned itself a spot in the Associated Press top-25 rankings following back-to-back wins over then-No. 16 Illinois and then-No. 19 Kentucky. 

As of now, the Tigers (13-4, 2-3 SEC) might be on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA Tournament in March. 

First-year coach Dennis Gates has already identified the biggest problem for the Tigers during their losing ways. It's simple shooting. Before its matchup against Texas A&M in College Station, Mizzou made 48.9 percent of its shots. Against the Aggies, the Tigers were 36 percent from the floor and were seven of 31 from behind the arc. 

Four days later, the shooting concerns continued. The Tigers' field goal percentage jumped from 36 to 42 percent against the Gators, but the three-point attempts soured even more, dropping from 22.6 to 16.7 percent.  

“When I go back and watch film, I see the same shots that we have made consistently being missed,” Gates told reporters earlier this week. “I challenged our guys to continue to shoot the ball. Don’t allow the, sort of, outcome to impact the process, because our process has been implemented and I don’t want our guys to lose the confidence shooting the basketball.” 

Senior guard Tre Gomillion said that the two-game road trip opened the team's eyes regarding where they are as a program. After being ranked for the first time since 2021, the Tigers lost their "hunter mindset" and instead became the hunted. 

Perhaps all that changes Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena against No. 25 Arkansas. The timing couldn't be better as the Hogs are currently on a three-game losing streak after dropping games against Auburn, No. 4 Alabama, and Vanderbilt. 

Consistency in the second half will be essential for the Tigers if they hope to claim their third-ranked win of the season. Against the Razorbacks in Fayetville, Missouri coasted out to a 17-point lead in the first half, but was outscored 47-34 in the final 20 minutes en route to a 74-68 loss. 

“It’s gonna be a scrappy game,” Gates said. “You know coach (Eric) Musselman and his personality. His players are trying to obviously take on that and we’ll continue to play our style of basketball and what we do."

Gates believes losing can strengthen a program's mantra. The Tigers started the season off 9-0 before being obliterated by former Big 12 rival Kansas at home on Dec. 10. After that, Mizzou went on a three-game winning streak, outgaining the Illini and Wildcats by a combined 36 points. 

One thing that Gates continues to preach is how the Tigers control their destiny. This season, 49 programs have seen a number next to their name in the AP Poll. Of those 49, 27 have spent at least a week on the outside looking in entering the halfway marker.

A rematch against Arkansas could spell trouble for the Tigers if the team gets off to a slow start, but Gates views it as a testament to the process. In his mind, a quick turnaround against a pesky foe could help Mizzou when it comes time for the SEC Tournament in March. 

“More often than not, the other part you’ll do in (a quick rematch) is the end of the season into the conference tournament,” Gates said. “I would rather get a sense of that now and see how we can react to the scout versus doing it then."

Tip-off from Columbia is set for 8 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on SEC Network.  

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