Scouting report: What to know about Missouri, Auburn’s first SEC basketball opponent
After cruising past non-conference play last year, Auburn basketball kicks off 2025 with its first conference matchup hosting Missouri.
Conference will play present a different challenge and beast for the Tigers, especially as the defending SEC champions.
Here’s a closer look at Missouri:
The season so far
Missouri comes into the game 11-2 with Saturday being its first SEC contest of the year. It shocked the world Dec. 8 knocking off the then No. 1 team Kansas 76-67 for its best win of the season.
Missouri is currently unranked and sits 55th in KenPom’s efficiency rankings. However, the Tigers rank 11th in the country averaging 87.3 points per game.
Compared to Auburn’s six, Missouri has played in three Quad I games (1-2) falling to Memphis and Illinois, ranking Missouri No. 48 in the NCAA’s NET Rankings.
Players to watch
Duke transfer Mark Mitchell has dominated since returning back to his home state, averaging 13.8 points, five rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
Three other Tiger guards are also averaging double-digit point totals in Tamar Bates (12.9 ppg), Caleb Grill (12.6 ppg) and Anthony Robinson II (10.6 ppg).
Robinson leads the team in assists, averaging 3.8 per game and steals sitting at 2.5 per game.
All four leading scorers for Missouri are shooting 50% from the floor. Grill is shooting 51.1% from beyond the arc, drilling a team-high 23 3-pointer.
Key to the game
Avoiding the slow starts
In Auburn’s last victory over Monmouth, miscues on defense and a 4-12 shooting start saw the Tigers trail early on. Despite dominating the rest of the way, a start like that can be detrimental against a team like Missouri.
Shutting down Missouri’s backcourt early will continue to create more highlight plays in the transition game for Auburn.
Auburn and Missouri will meet on Saturday, Jan. 4 inside Neville Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network.