Fear not, Missouri basketball is back after a 12-day hiatus. 

The Tigers last appeared on screen in a 43-point Braggin' Rights loss at the hands of Illinois, leaving a sour taste in their mouth for the holiday break. 15 days before that, Missouri lost by 20 points to Kansas in the latest chapter of the Border War saga. Those two, along with a 5-point loss to Notre Dame, puts Missouri at 0-3 against Quad 4 opponents. 

The trio of losses only mark the beginning of Missouri's stretch against tough opponents, as the Tigers' kick off Southeastern Conference play by hosting the reigning national champion Florida Gators Jan. 3. 

Here's how the teams are shaping up. 

Florida won the national championship last year, but suffered an upset loss to Missouri at home Jan. 14. The Gators did correct on their mistakes, however, as they beat the Tigers in the second round of the SEC tournament before going on to cut the net. 

Despite the last matchup taking place less than a year ago, both teams look vastly different. Missouri lost key players Tamar Bates, Caleb Grill, Tony Perkins and a few more role players, while Florida lost Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard to the NBA. 

The Gators reloaded on guard talent, bringing in Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland through the transfer portal, and while each were big additions at the time, neither have made the projected star impact. Missouri stuck with a more internal route, elevating Anthony Robinson II, Mark Mitchell and Jacob Crews to increased roles while bringing in transfer talent to fill out the edges. 

Florida sits at 9-4, a worse record than Missouri's 10-3, but have more quality wins, taking down Miami and Florida State. The Gators' losses are also respectable — three losses by a combined deficit of 11 between No. 13 Arizona, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 UConn. Make no mistake, Florida is still an elite team. 

Each of Missouri's team captains, Robinson and Mitchell, will be tasked with incredibly important matchups to help the Tigers upset the Gators. 

The aforementioned Florida transfer Fland and Lee makeup what could become — but hasn't quite yet — a dynamic starting backcourt. Both possess flashy guard skills and a soft touch around the paint. 

Lee actually faced off against — and upset — Missouri before. During his time at Princeton, he played four minutes as his team beat Missouri in the NCAA Tournament by 15 points, sending the Tigers home early. But Missouri didn't have Robinson or Barrett at the time, who are both elite guard defenders and could give the double-digit scorer problems.

Fland also squared off against the Tigers during his 2024-2025 freshman season at Arkansas. Robinson and Barrett held him to four points on 2-for-13 shooting in the Razorbacks' 18-point defeat. They've proven capable of shutting down Fland before, and very well could again. 

Mitchell will likely be outnumbered in his efforts against the stifling trio of Gator bigs, as Shawn Phillips Jr. has struggled mightily against Power Four opponents this season. Florida's trio of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu are combining to average 41.7 points and 26.2 rebounds per game this season. Each are averaging more rebounds per game than Mitchell, who leads Missouri with 5.8 per game. 

When Mitchell missed the teams' last dual in the SEC tournament, the trio combined for 31 points and 19 rebounds in a 95-81 victory over Missouri. It's unfair to ask Mitchell to stop them single-handedly, but he'll undoubtedly take the most responsibility in guarding Haugh and Condon, while Phillips tries his hand at stopping Chinyelu. 

Mitchell will also need to be on his A-game scoring wise, as the Tigers have just one win with Mitchell scoring single-digits. 

Transfer graduate guard Jayden Stone has been sidelined with a wrist injury for Missouri's last seven games, and his presence has been sorely missed. Before going down with injury, Stone was averaging 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He joined Anthony Robinson II as one of two Tigers to average more than 10 points and two assists per game, and was vital to the bench unit. 

Junior forward Trent Pierce, who hasn't played a game all season, is set to return for action as well. Pierce started 19 games last season, and averaging 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 47.2% from the field. It's unclear what his role may be in a return, but expect him to contribute regardless. 

"We get two good shooters back," Mitchell said. "They’re two guys who play hard, two guys who rebound and things like that. So anytime you get two important players like that back in the rotation, it can only help you.”

Jevon Porter, however, will not play. The senior forward missed Missouri's game against Illinois as well.