Mizzou basketball's defense collapses in brutal loss to Arkansas.
Missouri basketball (18-9, 8-6 in Southeastern Conference) walked into Bud Walton Arena with hopes of taking down No. 20 Arkansas (20-7, 10-4) to make for back-to-back wins against ranked opponents.
Those hopes crept closer to fruition as the Tigers led for the majority of the first 15 minutes and had a seven-point lead with 5:20 left in the first period.
But like clockwork, the last five minutes turned from promise to disaster — a tale about the Tigers told far too many times this season.
Arkansas closed the half on a 19-6 run and walked to the locker room with a 47-41 lead. It led for the entire second half.
While the run may have been what did Missouri in, its defense throughout the entire game was poor, allowing a season-worst 94 points as five Razorbacks scored double-digits.
Star guard Darius Acuff dropped 20 points and five assists, while Billy Richmond III scored 21, Malique Ewin scored 16, Maleek Thomas scored 14 and Trevon Brazile scored 12.
The top end of Missouri’s offense was respectable, as Mark Mitchell scored 26 points and dished out eight assists, while Trent Pierce scored 22 points.
Missouri’s bench, however, did not step up. The bench trio of Trent Burns, Anthony Robinson II and Jacob Crews combined for 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting, half of which came from Burns, who scored a season-high six points.
The lack of bench production pained the Tigers extra due to another recurring problem they’ve dealt with this season: Foul trouble.
Robinson struggled with it for the majority of his 2024-25 season and Shawn Phillips Jr. has struggled with it throughout 2025-26.
This time, it was starting point guard T.O. Barrett’s problem — he logged his fourth foul with 17:17 remaining in the game.
Barrett, who has become so vital to Missouri’s offense, scored five points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out four assists in the first half. But picking up his fourth personal foul so early in the second half caused him to play just 19 total minutes, his lowest since the Jan. 9 loss to Ole Miss.
Fellow starters Phillips and Pierce also logged four fouls. Robinson had three.
In the end, Missouri suffered a loss in a game in which it seemed it was poised to win. The Tigers will have a chance at redemption as a formidable Tennessee squad comes to Mizzou Arena at 8 p.m. Tuesday.