No. 15/16 University of Missouri men’s basketball returns home for another ranked matchup in Mizzou Arena, hosting No. 4/4 Alabama. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on Wednesday night on SEC Network.

 

ABOUT THE TIGERS

• Missouri is currently in fifth place in the SEC standings at 8-4 with a 19-6 overall mark.

• The Tigers are ranked No. 15 in the AP poll and No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches poll.

• MU won a pair of games last week by a combined 37 points, coming off an 87-74 win at Georgia.

• Senior Tamar Bates leads three Tigers in double-figure scoring with 13.4 points, followed by Mark Mitchell (12.9) and Caleb Grill (12.8).

• Josh Gray has a team-best 5.2 rebounds, while Anthony Robinson II leads MU with 3.3 assists.

• Mizzou is 19th nationally with a scoring offense of 82.6 and 14th with a scoring margin of +13.6.

 

ABOUT THE CRIMSON TIDE

• Alabama owns a 21-4 overall record with a 10-2 mark in conference play after having its seven-game winning streak snapped on Saturday to No. 1 Auburn, 94-85.

• The Crimson Tide enter the week as the nation’s fourth-ranked team in both polls.

• Mark Sears leads the Tide with 17.8 points and 4.8 assists per game.

• Grant Nelson is second with 12.6 points to go with a team-leading 8.3 rebounds.

• Alabama leads the country with 90.3 points per game, while allowing 79.1 defensively.

 

SERIES HISTORY

• In a series that dates back to 1977, Alabama holds a 15-7 advantage against the Tigers.

• The Tide have won four-straight in the series, including a 93-75 home win last season.

• Mizzou, however, has won three of the last four meetings in Columbia with a 5-4 overall home record in the series.

 

BACK-TO-BACK STRONG WINS

• Missouri is playing top basketball at the moment.

• Last week, Mizzou combined to win a pair of league games by 37 points – topping Oklahoma, 82-58, and Georgia, 87-74.

• The 37-point total margin of victory is the Tigers’ largest in back-to-back SEC games in six years – MU topped South Carolina and Georgia by 40 combined points in 2019.

• Overall, MU has five conference wins by at least 13 points this season – tied with No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Alabama for the most in the league.

 

MIZZOU THROUGH 12 SEC GAMES

• Through 12 conference games, the Tigers are in fifth place with an 8-4 record in SEC play.

• The 8-4 start is Missouri’s best record through 12 league games since joining the SEC in 2012-13.

• Additionally, at 19-6, MU has matched its best overall start since starting 23-2 in 2011-12.

 

TIGERS IN THE RANKINGS

• Mizzou remains in the top 25 for a fifth-straight week – improving its place by six in both polls to No. 15 in the AP and No. 16 in the coaches polls.

• It marks the first time the Tigers have spent five-straight weeks in the polls since an 11-week run during the 2020-21 campaign.

 

TIGERS AGAINST THE RANKED

• Mizzou aims to add to its list of ranked wins this season when it faces No. 4 Alabama Wednesday.

• The Tigers are 4-3 against ranked foes this season, including a 2-1 mark inside Mizzou Arena.

• Mizzou also looks to join Auburn as the only two teams with three top-five wins this season, while becoming just the second Tiger team in school history with three top-five victories.

• The 1988-89 Tigers also earned three top-five wins over No. 5 North Carolina, No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Oklahoma.

 

3-POINTERS + FREE THROWS

• The Tigers and Crimson Tide share a recipe for success – 3-pointers and free throws.

• The two schools are the only ones in the nation averaging eight made triples per game and 18 made free throws.

• Overall, Mizzou is second nationally with 19.7 made free throws this season and 83rd with 8.8 triples per game.

 

WHAT CAN’T HE DO?

• Sophomore Anthony Robinson put together an all-around game in Saturday’s win at Georgia.

• Robinson led Mizzou in four stats – 15 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four assists.

• He is the first Tiger to post all four of those stats since Kobe Brown did so in 2022 against Illinois and the first to do so in a conference game since Phil Pressey in 2012 against Baylor.

• Overall, Robinson is first on the team in assists (3.3) and steals (2.0) plus fourth in points (9.3) and rebounds (3.3).

 

KEEPING IT CLEAN

• Another highlight of the Tigers’ win Saturday at Georgia was their ball handling.

• MU collected 18 assists to just three turnovers – a 6.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.

• Overall, the team’s three turnovers tied a school record for fewest in a game, accomplishing the feat for the third time this season.

• MU is the only team nationally this season and the only SEC school in at least the last 20 years to have three games with three or fewer turnovers.

• Overall, the Tigers are averaging 10.6 miscues per game – the second-lowest in school history (averaged 10.2 in 2011-12).