The Missouri Tigers delivered a massive statement win last night, grinding out a hard-fought 73-69 victory over No. 22 Tennessee at Mizzou Arena on Tuesday. This marks the Tigers’ third ranked scalp of the season and their second in the past week alone, boosting them to 19-9 overall and 9-6 in SEC play. The Volunteers, now 20-8 (10-5 SEC), saw their four-game win streak snapped in a tough road loss.
Sophomore guard T.O. Barrett stole the show with a career-high 28 points (16 coming after halftime) on an impressive 12-of-17 shooting clip. He added five rebounds and two assists, relentlessly attacking the rim and making big plays when it mattered most. Senior forward Mark Mitchell chipped in 23 points and three boards, teaming up with Barrett for a combined 51 points—the highest output by any Mizzou duo this year. Off the bench, redshirt freshman Trent Burns brought the energy, pulling down a career-high seven rebounds and snagging four steals (a new personal best) to disrupt Tennessee’s flow and fuel second-chance opportunities.
The Vols came out firing, racing to a 12-2 lead thanks to six early offensive rebounds and forcing an immediate Mizzou timeout. Tennessee held a double-digit edge and pushed it to nine at 21-12 before the Tigers locked in defensively.
Missouri clamped down, blanking Tennessee for over five minutes and ripping off an 8-0 run—six of those points from Barrett—to get within one at 21-20. After a Gillespie three halted the surge, the Tigers answered with a quick 6-0 burst in under a minute, highlighted by Burns’ putback dunk and Barrett’s steal-turned-breakaway slam for their first lead at 26-24. Tennessee grabbed the final five points of the half for a slim 29-26 advantage at the break.
The second half was a back-and-forth battle with lead changes and four ties. Mizzou pulled ahead 36-34 around the under-16 media timeout on a 6-0 spurt featuring a Trent Pierce triple and a Mitchell and-one off a turnover. Things knotted up at 45 with 11 minutes left, setting the stage for Missouri’s decisive push.
The Tigers exploded for a 13-3 run, including back-to-back threes from Pierce and one from Anthony Robinson II, ballooning the lead to 56-48—their biggest of the night—with 7:52 to go. Missouri kept Tennessee at arm’s length, with Mitchell’s three-point play making it 67-60 at the 3:34 mark. The Vols clawed back, holding Mizzou scoreless for nearly two minutes while Gillespie scored five straight to cut it to 67-65.
Barrett responded with a key layup to push it back to four. Nate Ament’s second-chance bucket with 25 seconds left got Tennessee within two again, but Jacob Crews calmly sank four free throws in the final 10 seconds to ice the 73-69 win.
The Tigers shot 47.3% from the field and caught fire late, hitting 16 of their last 24 attempts (66.7%). They owned the paint 40-32 and cashed in 15 Tennessee turnovers for 23 points. Tennessee shot 42.9% overall and went just 7-of-24 from beyond the arc.
This gritty comeback showcased Missouri’s growing toughness, defensive grit, and ability to seize momentum in big moments—especially on their home floor against a ranked foe. It’s the kind of win that builds resumes and momentum in a stacked SEC.
The Tigers head to Starkville to face Mississippi State on Saturday, February 28, with tip-off at noon CT on SEC Network.
