In this series, we’ll look ahead at Missouri’s opponents in the upcoming 2024-25 season. We’ll start by previewing the handful of mid-major teams the Tigers will go up against.
HOWARD
Date & Location: Nov. 8 at Mizzou Arena
2023-24 Record: 18-17, 9-5 MEAC
Torvik Preseason Rank: 225
Fresh off back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, led by head coach Kenneth Blakeney, the Bison will be one of the tougher lower-level teams Mizzou will play this season. Senior do-it-all guard Bryce Harris returns after leading the team with 16.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, as does sharpshooting fellow senior guard Marcus Dockery, who averaged 13.5 points while shooting 40.6% from 3 on 6.7 attempts per game. Howard also brought in Rutgers transfer forward Antonio Chol to bolster its frontcourt. The Tigers will need to keep the Bison off the stripe as Howard was top 10 in free throw rate last season according to KenPom.
EASTERN WASHINGTON
Date & Location: Nov. 11 at Mizzou Arena
2023-24 Record: 21-11, 15-3 Big Sky
Torvik Preseason Rank: 311
The Eagles won the Big Sky regular season titles each of the last two years, but are essentially starting from scratch under new head coach Dan Monson after former head coach David Riley moved onto Washington State and brought five of the team’s top six scorers with him. Monson added his son, junior guard Maddox Monson, and redshirt freshman guard Shaumba Ngoyi, both of whom were with him at Long Beach State but neither of whom played very much. He added redshirt junior jumbo guard Tyler Powell, who previously had minor roles at Nevada and Seton Hall. The rest of the roster is largely filled out by junior college recruits and underclassmen returners who didn’t see the court much for the Eagles last season. Monson’s teams historically like to play up-tempo, so MU will need to match EWU’s speed.
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
Date & Location: Nov. 14 at Mizzou Arena
2023-24 Record: 1-30, 1-17 SWAC
Torvik Preseason Rank: 363
The Delta Devils rated out on KenPom as the worst team in college basketball last year and aren’t expected to be much better this season — the team hasn’t cracked double-digit wins since making a run to the Big Dance in 2012. Entering his third season with the team, George Ivory is currently having to serve as both the school’s head coach and interim athletic director. MVSU is still a program Mizzou can’t take it easy against. The Delta Devils played competitively against the Tigers in the first half of their last matchup on Nov. 20, 2022, trailing just 40-37 before the black and gold pulled away in the second half to take the 83-62 win.
PACIFIC
Date & Location: Nov. 22 at Mizzou Arena
2023-24 Record: 6-26, 0-16 WCC
Torvik Preseason Rank: 321
Pacific hired new head coach Dave Smart this offseason to rejuvenate the program. Smart was a longtime head coach who dominated at Carleton, winning 13 U Sports championships (the national sport governing body for universities in Canada) before spending last season as an assistant on Texas Tech’s staff. Smart stripped the roster down to the studs, the exception being senior forward Burke Smith who averaged 4.2 points and 2.0 rebounds, but brought in a number of notable newcomers: DePaul transfer guard Elijah Fisher was the Blue Demons’ second-leading scorer a year ago, putting up 10.2 points per game. Nevada transfer forward Jazz Gardner was the No. 130-ranked recruit in the Class of 2023, previously held an offer from Missouri and played sparingly for the Wolf Pack. Other high-major pickups include Minnesota transfer forward Kris Keinys, SMU transfer guard Jefferson Koulibaly and Texas Tech transfer guard Lamar Washington.
ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF
Date & Location: Nov. 24 at Mizzou Arena
2023-24 Record: 13-18, 8-10 SWAC
Torvik Preseason Rank: 360
The Golden Lions have made moderate strides through three years under head coach Solomon Bozeman. The 13 wins the team earned last season were the most for the program since the 2018-19 season. APB has its work cut out for it this year, though, with its top three scorers as well as its top rebounder all moving on. Bozeman will likely lean on graduate senior guard Lonnell Martin Jr., who started in all 31 games last season while posting 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Bozeman’s teams are typically some of the worst in the nation on defense, so this should be a matchup Mizzou looks to flex its offensive muscles.
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