COLUMBIA — After a three-game stretch that left Missouri basketball sweating bullets on Selection Sunday, the Tigers earned a bid to go dancing in the NCAA Tournament, and an extremely favorable one at that.
Missouri drew the No. 10 seed in the West Region, meaning that it’ll take on the No. 7 seed Miami Hurricanes. But the opponent isn’t what makes Missouri’s matchup favorable, rather the location — the game will take place at 9:10 p.m. Friday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
There’s not a more pro-Missouri, neutral-site market in the tournament than St. Louis — the Tigers will essentially open the NCAA Tournament with a home game.
However, Missouri suffered one of its worst losses in program history the last time it played in the Enterprise Center, falling 91-48 to Illinois on Dec. 22. That point was the lowest valley of the season, but since, the Tigers have rallied and turned around a once-dead-in-the-water season, thanks to the help of injury recovery and internal growth.
“No team is the same team that they were in December,” head coach Dennis Gates said. “There's a lot of things that happen and take place. We're a lot healthier… We're going to continue to grow. What's behind us is behind us. What is in front of us is in front of us. And you have to have amnesia, so to speak, to be able to move forward and get past and get out of the so-called ruts of your season. But also you got to look forward to the opportunities, and you got to be present as the most important. So we're excited to be in the NCAA Tournament.”
Missouri’s tournament bid signals the first time since the 2012 and 2013 seasons that the Tigers made the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons, meaning that Gates is the first Missouri coach to do so as a member of the Southeastern Conference.
The rare season-to-season consistency from the program can be largely accredited to key returners, specifically ones that played in last season’s tournament run and will now suit up for the 2026 dance. Mark Mitchell, who led the team in points per game in both seasons, is playing the best basketball of his career, dropping back-to-back 32-point games.
Other key returners include Anthony Robinson and Trent Pierce — two starters from the 2024-25 squad that had all the reason to leave, but chose to stay and build upon the progress they already made.
“Mark Mitchell didn't have to come back, guys,” Gates said. “And ultimately, in the transactional world, Trent Pierce, Ant Robinson, they turned down a lot of money just to come back, and I appreciate that.”
He called on local support to help continue that success.
“If you’re out there listening, we need help,” Gates said. “It's always good NIL deals in St Louis that can take place for us to keep our players on this roster the right way. There's a lot of businesses in the St Louis area. I can list them all. We need you. We need your help. We need your support.”
Gates and his Tigers will be on the hunt for their first NCAA Tournament win since beating Utah State in 2023.