COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri basketball kicked off its season with an 100-91 exhibition match victory over Kansas State. The offense looked fast paced and high-octane, while the defense looked chaos-causing and relentless. 

Head coach Dennis Gates put a large emphasis on roster retention over the offseason, bringing back the most returning minutes percentage in the Southeastern Conference.

"Retention and development is very important," Gates said at preseason media day. "You can't just build a national championship team just from the portal." 

There's already been multiple examples of returners improving exponentially under Gates' tutelage from season-to-season, such as Anthony Robinson II between his freshman and sophomore campaigns, or Trent Pierce between his. 

Which Tiger performances stood out in the win over Kansas State to indicate potential leaps? 

Anthony Robinson II 

Robinson already had a massive aforementioned leap last season, more than doubling his points and assists per game, nearly doubling his steals and rebounds per game, and increasing both his field goal and 3-point percentage by 11.6% and 19.5% respectively. 

He spent the majority of last season as the Tigers' starting point guard, playing a supporting role to top scorers Tamar Bates, Caleb Grill and Mark Mitchell. Even with the talent around him, there were times Robinson looked to be the best player on the court – his impressive play in the first half against No. 1 ranked Kansas sticks out. 

However, many times, Robinson held himself back with foul trouble and careless mistakes, leading his playing time to be limited. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

Mitchell returned, but Bates and Grill are now out of the picture, leaving Robinson as unquestionably the top guard. Robinson finished the game with 16 points on a perfect six-for-six shooting, four assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block in just 23 minutes. He looked like the clear best player on either side of the court, leading the Tigers' offense in transition and in the halfcourt while getting multiple impressive defense stops on PJ Haggerty.

If this is the Robinson Missouri gets all season, he's undoubtedly a top 20 player in the country. 

Annor Boateng

Boateng was Missouri's top recruit of its 2024 class, hailing from Little Rock, Arkansas as the No. 1 player in the state and No. 26 player in the country. He was given opportunities in the starting lineup for seven non-conference games in the beginning of the season, but never quite put it together. 

He played just 17 games in his freshman campaign, averaging 1.9 points in 6.5 minutes per game while shooting 34.6% from the field. He contributed the least among his fellow freshman class, aside from Trent Burns, who redshirted the year with an injury. 

But Boateng was always going to be a long-term project. His raw athleticism and ball-skills flashed at times last season, just not consistently. Against Kansas State, however, Boateng looked like a clean product. He dropped 15 points on four-for-five shooting, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, easily the best performance of his career. 

Boateng showed every bit of athleticism, running the floor and guarding up when needed. He also hit an impressive pull-up 3-pointer, which would not have been expected at any point last year. If Boateng has truly taken a second-year leap, Missouri has a great option as a connecting wing to support Robinson and Mitchell. 

Shawn Phillips Jr. 

Phillips transferred to Missouri for his senior season after two consecutive seasons at Arizona State starting just 12 games. He averaged 5.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in just 17.9 minutes per game in his junior season, but flourished when thrust into the starting lineup in place of an injured Jayden Quaintance. 

Now at Missouri, Phillips looks to have the starting center position locked down to himself, and he's making the most of it. He dropped 14 points on seven-for-eight shooting, 10 rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes of action. Phillips' primary role was as a rim-runner and pick-and-roll partner for his guards, which he excelled in. 

He's the best lob threat the Tigers have had under Gates, and has unlocked a new aspect of Missouri's offense as a reliable paint presence for his guards. Phillips' play isn't anything unique, but it's just what the Tigers need.