A top-25 battle is set for Mizzou Arena on Saturday night as No 22/24 University of Missouri men’s basketball hosts No. 16/16 Ole Miss at Mizzou Arena. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. on SEC Network.

PROMOTIONS

• Mizzou is celebrating Coach Norm Stewart’s 90th birthday on Saturday with the first 2,000 fans receiving a Stormin’ Norman t-shirt.

ABOUT THE TIGERS

• Mizzou enters the weekend with a 15-4 overall record and a 4-2 mark in SEC play.

• MU is ranked No. 22 in the AP poll, while placing No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches poll.

• The Tigers had their four-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday, falling at Texas, 61-53.

• Junior Mark Mitchell leads the Tigers with 13.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

• Overall, four Tigers score in double figures with Tamar Bates (12.8), Caleb Grill (12.1) and Anthony Robinson II (10.3) following Mitchell’s lead.

• Robinson is also first on the team with 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

• Mizzou is 24th nationally with a scoring offense of 83.2 and 16th with a scoring margin of +14.5.

ABOUT THE REBELS

• Ole Miss matches the Tigers with a 15-4 overall record and a 4-2 conference mark.

• The Rebels are currently ranked No. 16 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches polls.

• Sean Pedulla is first on the team with 14.3 points – one of four Rebels scoring in double figures.

• Jaylen Murray is second on Ole Miss with 11.8 points to go with a team-best 4.1 assists.

• Malik Dia has collected a team-best 6.1 boards.

• The Rebels are scoring 77.9 points per game with a scoring defense of 65.5.

SERIES HISTORY

• Ole Miss holds a 17-8 edge over Mizzou with all meetings coming since the Tigers joined the conference in 2012.

• Last season, the Rebels earned a pair of close victories against Mizzou, winning by a combined nine points in the two games.

• Prior to last season, MU had won five-straight in the series, sweeping Ole Miss each of the previous two seasons.

• Overall, the Tigers are 4-7 all-time against the Rebels inside Mizzou Arena.

MIZZOU THROUGH SIX SEC GAMES

• The Tigers are currently tied for third in the SEC standings with a 4-2 conference record.

• The 4-2 start to league plays is tied for Mizzou’s best-ever start through six SEC games.

• MU, who also began the 2012-13 and 2020-21 league slates with a 4-2 mark, is aiming for its first 5-2 start to SEC play since joining the league.

• In addition, the Tigers’ 15-4 overall start is the team’s best since 2013-14 (also starting 15-4).

WHAT’S NEXT

• Competing in the challenging SEC, Mizzou has a difficult upcoming schedule as it looks to improve its standing in the conference.

• Saturday’s game against No. 16 Ole Miss is the first of four-straight contests against ranked teams – No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 13 Texas A&M are to follow.

• It marks the first time since 1957-58 that MU is playing four-straight games against ranked foes.

HOME SWEET HOME

• The good news for the Tigers is their four-game stretch against ranked opponents opens at home, where MU is unbeaten on the year.

• Mizzou is currently on a 14-game home-court winning streak – the team’s longest since a 26-game run from 2012 to 2014.

• The 14-game run is also the longest active streak in the SEC and fifth longest in the nation.

• The 14-game run, which includes three over SEC foes and a win over No. 1, has come in dominating fashion, leading for 476:58 of 560 minutes.

THREE POINTS OF IMPORTANCE

• Hitting their shots from beyond the arc has been a key to success for the Tigers this season.

• In the team’s 15 wins, Mizzou has made 39.4 percent of its 3-point attempts and 9.5 per game.

• In its four defeats, however, MU has made just 25.6 percent of its triples and 5.3 per game.

• Overall, the Tigers are 11-0 this season with eight or more triples in a game but just 4-4 with seven and fewer.

LET HIM GRILL

• The most important player for the Tigers to get going is senior Caleb Grill.

• Playing in 14 games this season, Grill is averaging 12.1 points per game, leading Mizzou with 38 made triples and a 3-point clip of 47.5 percent.

• Grill has played his best in the team’s wins this season – leading MU with 14.5 points in victories but just 3.3 in defeats. 

• The good news for Mizzou is Grill has been strong in his last five games – averaging 13.6 points and shooting 46.9 percent from 3-point range.