Mizzou Overwhelmed at Auburn, Loses Handily in Conference Opener

There wasn't much Missouri could do on the road against the second-ranked team in the country, seeming overmatched in every category in the blowout loss against Auburn.

Jan 4, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tamar Bates (2) is pressured by Auburn Tigers guard Chad Baker-Mazara (10) during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images / John Reed-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers' conference play opener did not go how they would have liked. The No. 2 ranked Auburn Tigers outplayed Missouri in nearly every category, resulting in an 84-68 home victory.

No team in the country matches up well with the Auburn Tigers, primarily due to its physical nature of basketball. That was apparent early on, playing bruising defense and drawing fouls around the rim. That wouldn't stop and was a common theme for Auburn throughout the game.

There also aren't many teams in the country who can stop Auburn forward Johni Broome, which was also apparent early for Auburn. Broome scored nine of the first 11 points for the home team.

Even when Broome went to the bench early on, Auburn found ways to score. Missouri, on the other hand, could not. Missouri went 5-for-14 in the first 10 minutes of the game and trailed 23-14 at the halfway point. This was mainly in part to Auburn's physicality but the Tigers couldn't get many good looks.

In usual Missouri fashion, the Tigers found themselves at the free throw line 12 times in the first half and 26 at the game's end. They made 19 of those attempts. On off-offensive days, Missouri's managed to generate chances at the free throw line to make up for it. That was the case on the road against Auburn.

Two young Missouri forwards were the lone bright spots all game for the Tigers. Sophomore Trent Pierce was at Missouri's offensive forefront, finishing with 18 points on 3-for-5 shooting. He didn't have his best game from the perimeter but looked much improved attacking the rim.

Marcus Allen saw an extended run alongside Pierce, playing 22 minutes and finishing with nine points. He was tasked with guarding Broome, which always was going to be a challenge. Regardless, he held his own on defense guarding one of the best players in the country.

Despite the solid young performances, senior guard Marques Warrick finished with 19 points and three rebounds on 5-for-8 shooting.

The perimeter became a good friend of Auburn, shooting 7-for-13 in the first half and 10-for-21 in the entire game. Seven different Auburn players knocked down triples in the first half, drawing into its bench and starting unit to find scoring. At the half's end, Auburn led 45-33, imposing its will in every way imaginable.

Broome, like usual, was an unstoppable force all game. He finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and two assists on efficient 9-for-13 shooting. Broome's performance against Missouri in the SEC conference opener was another mark on his Player of the Year campaign.

A quick start in the second half for Auburn buried Missouri and, in some ways, put an end to the game. Auburn opened the half on a 12-1 run, featuring two contested threes made by Chad Baker-Mazara and Denver Jones and a flagrant one foul against Josh Gray, resulting in two free throws from Chaney Johnson. This all happened in the three minutes of the half.

Missouri's starters and arguably its best players, Tamar Bates and Mark Mitchell, struggled as bad as they have all season. Bates finished with eight points and Mitchell with six. Neither showed up in a big game, which consequentially found them on the bench for the majority of the second half. Mitchell played only 17 minutes and Bates 23, both under their season averages.

The flow of the second half was heavily disrupted by both team's frequent fouling. In that mess of fouls, stoppages and free throws, Missouri's Jacob Crews nailed two triples. They hardly cut into Auburn's 20-point lead but it was a nice consolation prize. Auburn responded to that small run with a postup score from Broome and an emphatic fast-break dunk from Chaney Johnson.

Missouri's freshman got plenty of playing time in this game, primarily coming in the second half. Guards T.O. Barrett and Annor Boateng played 13 and 12 minutes respectively, with Allen getting significant game time as well.

Auburn's win gave head coach Bruce Pearl the No. 213 win of his career with the Tigers, tying Joel Eaves with the program record of career wins. Missouri fell to 11-3 while No. 2 Auburn improved to 12-2.

Missouri's has the chance to rebound against the LSU Tigers at 8:00 p.m. CT on Jan. 7 in the home-opener of conference play.