Against all odds, Mizzou overcomes No. 22 Florida. A stunning upset fueled by clutch shots and unexpected heroes ignites SEC play.
Missouri basketball entered its game against Florida 0-3 against Quad 4 opponents. It lost to Kansas and Illinois by a combined 63 points in neutral site locations, and five points on the road to Notre Dame. No. 22 Florida, while not living up to their label of reigning national champions, was still quite a formidable squad, who had quality wins over competitive teams and its only three losses were single-digit deficits to top-15 ranked opponents.
Florida had also beaten Missouri the last time the teams squared off in the 2025 SEC Tournament, and was 5-1 in its last six games against the Tigers. By all means, Missouri was a major underdog.
"Our guys did not get discouraged," Head coach Dennis Gates said. "They were encouraged, and they allowed failure to get them better. They allowed public ridicule to get them better. They allowed Christmas break to get them better. They allowed me to get them better.
"At that point, we took a step."
The Gators led by three points with seconds remaining in the first half, serious momentum on their side. Jacob Crews, Missouri's best shooter, was swung the ball. Crews hadn't even attempted a 3-pointer all night — the Gators made a concerted effort to deny the sharpshooter open looks and take away the best part of his game.
"He had a phenomenal night," Head coach Dennis Gates said postgame. "He just didn't rely on his three pointers."
Instead of hoisting deep balls, Crews consistently made the right play, both for himself and his teammates. In this scenario, Crews was doubled, and opted to kick it to redshirt freshman Trent Burns, who hadn't made a 3-pointer in his entire collegiate career.
But make no mistake, this was how Gates calculated the play. He planned for this exact situation in practice.
"I knew deep in my mind what they would do in that situation," Gates said. "I knew they would leave (Burns) wide open."
"It got to a point in practice where I used some profanity, cursed him out, and said, 'Just shoot threes. just shoot threes all practice for the next three days.'"
Burns, having been prepped by his coach, drilled it, tying the game at 39 points and giving the Tigers a spark of life heading into halftime.
"We may have bent," Gates said, "But we didn't break."
These Tigers had fight. Missouri rode Burns' electric 3-pointer into a 12-4 run to begin the second half, eventually pulling off a shocking 76-74 upset by beating a ranked Gator squad for the second consecutive regular season game.
Team captain Anthony Robinson II led the way, having his best game of the season at the most crucial moment — exactly what a team needs out of its leader. The junior guard dropped 19 points, along with a season-high eight rebounds, five assists and two steals while shooting 8-for-14 from the field in 35 minutes of play.
It's odd to think that last stat mentioned — his minutes — would be the most important, but such was the case. Robinson has dealt with foul trouble throughout his career, and has often struggled to stay on the court for extended periods of time because of it.
Not tonight.
Robinson made an impact in each of his 35 minutes, maintaining his elite-level defense while drawing back his tendency to foul, finding the perfect balance of his defensive aggression. He channeled his defense to help hold Florida guards Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland to a combined 6-for-20 from the field.
While impactful for all 35, Robinson's most important minute was his last.
Missouri led Florida 71-69 with 0:42 left on the clock. Head coach Dennis Gates called a timeout and turned to his star player.
"Nobody else is shooting that shot but you, and you need to make the play," Gates said to Robinson. "He tried to look at me again as if I was going to change my mind and I said, 'You're shooting the ball.'"
Robinson rose not only to the occasion, but to the air, elevating for and banking in a wild 3-pointer to put the Tigers up 74-69 with 0:27 remaining. He got the game-sealing stop on Fland just 25 seconds later, giving Missouri its first SEC win of the season.
The team then posted on X, "1-0 when it means more." Missouri gets its fresh start, beginning the new year season with a miraculous conference win in spite of previous struggles, and sitting undefeated in SEC play.
Robinson wasn't the only key to Missouri's upset victory. Jayden Stone, who missed the previous six games, and Trent Pierce, who hadn't played all season, both made returns to the court. The pair combined for 19 points, 11 rebounds and four 3-pointers.
"Having Trent and Stone out there really helped space the floor," Robinson said. "I had easier drives."
After a shaky start to the season littered with Quad 4 losses and mid-major upset scares, Missouri seems to be turning the corner and putting it all together at the same time. With a fully-healthy squad returning Pierce and Stone to the lineup, along with Robinson playing his best ball of the season and all the other pieces falling in line, the Tigers have a new sense of hope.