Jan 31, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates gestures to gamers towards the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the course of the second half of the sport at Mizzou Area. Obligatory Credit score: Denny Medley-Imagn Pictures As Missouri battles to make the NCAA Match’s discipline of 68, maybe crucial quantity it wants to concentrate to is 332.
That’s the place the Tigers at the moment sit, out of 361 Division I groups, in free-throw capturing share as coach Dennis Gates’ crew faces South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday.
Missouri (15-7, 5-4 Southeastern Convention) has made simply 67.4% of its pictures from the free-throw line, making the crew lifeless final within the SEC. That features an atrocious 34.8% (8-for-23) displaying in a 90-64 setback at Alabama final month.
The Tigers rebounded in an 84-79 victory over Mississippi State final week, making 75.8% (25 for 33) of their free throws, together with 10 of 12 within the last two minutes to carry off the Bulldogs.
It’s not the sexiest statistic, however it might find yourself making the distinction as Missouri tries to qualify for the NCAA Match.
“That is good teaching. I used to be in a position to telepathically get into their mind proper there on the road and begin whispering, ‘Settle down, settle down.’ And also you simply noticed a sleek. So, the teaching. I am going to take that at present,” Gates mentioned.
Mark Mitchell led Missouri with 19 factors and 7 rebounds within the overcome Mississippi State. T.O. Barrett added 16 factors, eight rebounds, and 4 assists.
Trent Pierce, who made 19 begins final season however missed this 12 months’s whole nonconference schedule, began for the primary time in 9 appearances this 12 months and made two early 3-pointers on the best way to 13 factors.
Mitchell leads the crew with 17.5 factors and 5.5 rebounds. He has scored in double figures in 20 of twenty-two video games. Jayden Stone is averaging 14.6 factors and 5.3 rebounds.
The Tigers are simply 1-3 on the street within the convention, however in South Carolina, they’re dealing with a spiraling squad poised to overlook the NCAA Match for the eighth time in 9 years. The Gamecocks have misplaced 4 straight and eight of 10.
South Carolina has dropped two straight and 4 of 5 at dwelling and misplaced its final outing 84-75 at Texas on Tuesday regardless of leaping out to an early lead.
“We did loads of proper issues that allowed us to be able to win the sport. … Our first accountability was to do sufficient proper issues that when it bought to game-winning time, you have been proper there to win the sport,” Gamecocks head coach Lamont Paris mentioned. “It stings to be in that place after which within the final 2 1/2, 3 minutes, not be able to win the sport.”
Meechie Johnson scored a career-best 35 factors whereas capturing 12 of 21 from the sector and 10 of 14 from the free-throw line. Elijah Sturdy added 12 factors.
Johnson leads the crew with a career-best 16.5 factors, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. He’s averaging 22.6 factors over his final seven video games.
“Meechie has had a great 12 months. He is been getting higher at his one-on-one attacking,” Paris mentioned. “So he is been doing that much more, I would say, in the previous couple of video games, particularly attending to the rim and ending sturdy. That is been a degree of emphasis for him to attempt to enhance.”
–Subject Stage Media
