Takeaways from Mizzou basketball's loss to Arkansas include struggles from the point guards, the emergence of Trent Burns and struggles in allowing scoring runs.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Mizzou basketball allowed a season-worst 94 points to Arkansas on Saturday, leading to a 94-86 loss on the road to move to 18-9 on the season and 8-6 in Southeastern Conference play.
Missouri certainly wasn't favored to win this game, but a loss wasn't the desired outcome.
Here's what was learned — or re-learned — from the loss.
Runs still the achilles heel
Missouri succumbs to runs each game, and its loss to Arkansas was no different. The Razorbacks ended the first half on a 19-6 run to snatch a lead which it then never relinquished.
Arkansas also scored 18 points in transition, blowing by Missouri's fast-break defense for easy buckets. Time and time again, it seems as if Missouri's disastrous closes to halves are what do the Tigers in — the huge run it gave up to Vanderbilt to close the game nearly did, the run to LSU it gave to open the game did and now the end-of-half run to Arkansas did.
Missouri lacks consistency, and it's hard to imagine the Tigers will find it this late into the season.
Consistent guard play is lacking
Team captain and former starting point guard Anthony Robinson II was projected to be a top scorer and player on Missouri's roster heading into the 2025-26 season. After an up-and-down non-conference slate, Robinson struggled mightily in the SEC slate, leading to his eventual benching for Missouri's Jan. 24 game against Oklahoma.
T.O. Barrett entered the starting lineup in his place and started off strong, scoring 21 and 16 points in his first two games. Barrett has shot 37% from the field in the six contests after those first two. He shot 2-for-9 from the field in the loss to Texas and 3-for-10 from the field in the narrow win over Vanderbilt.
Ironically, those two games have been Robinson's best since his benching — when Barrett is off, Robinson elevates, and vice-versa. The pairs' inconsistencies are detrimental to offensive woes, and we've yet to see both hit their stride at the same time.
Trent Burns has arrived
Redshirt freshman Trent Burns is perhaps the most anticipated player on Missouri's roster. His 7-foot-5 frame combined with a potential 3-point shot makes him one of the most unique players in all of college basketball.
He missed the entirety of his freshman season and the first six games of the 2025-26 season due to injury. Since his debut, he's played sparingly and not very effectively against high-quality opponents
That changed in Missouri's 81-80 win over Vanderbilt on Tuesday, as he played a season-high 18 minutes and logged a plus-minus of 19 in the win. He followed it up with another impressive performance against Arkansas on Saturday, logging the highest plus-minus on the team, scoring six points and blocking two shots in the loss.
As the postseason draws nearer, Burns emergence as a viable backup changes Missouri's rotation flexibility and strengthens its size advantage.