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No. 15/16 University of Missouri men’s basketball looks to extend its winning streak on Saturday when it faces rival Arkansas on the road. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena on ESPN.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Mizzou has won three-straight games to improve to 20-6 on the season and 9-4 in SEC play.
• The Tigers entered the week ranked No. 15 in the AP and No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches polls.
• MU is coming off a 110-98 victory over No. 4 Alabama on Wednesday, led by a career-best 31 points from Mark Mitchell.
• Mitchell now leads MU with 13.6 points, while Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill follow with 13.4.
• Josh Gray has a team-best 5.1 rebounds, while Anthony Robinson II leads MU with 3.3 assists.
• Mizzou is 13th nationally with a scoring offense of 83.7 and 15th with a scoring margin of +13.6.
ABOUT THE RAZORBACKS
• Arkansas owns a 15-11 overall record with a 4-9 mark against SEC foes.
• The Razorbacks have lost two-straight, falling in tight road games to top-10 foes.
• Adou Thiero leads Arkansas with 15.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
• Johnell Davis and D.J. Wagner also score in double figures with 10.3 and 10.2 points, respectively, while Wagner adds a team-best 3.5 assists.
• The Razorbacks score 75.5 points per game, while allowing 68.8 defensively.
SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1950, Arkansas holds a 35-28 advantage over Mizzou.
• MU cruised to an 83-65 win earlier this season. Mizzou raced to an 18-2 lead and Arkansas was never closer than nine the rest of the way.
• In the return matchup, Mizzou aims to end a three-game losing streak in Fayetteville and post its first win in Bud Walton Arena since 2021.
MIZZOU THROUGH 13 SEC GAMES
• Through 13 conference games, the Tigers are tied for fourth place with an 9-4 record in SEC play.
• The 9-4 start is Missouri’s best record through 13 league games since joining the SEC in 2012-13.
• With five games remaining, the Tigers are just two wins shy of their best SEC record of 11-7 – accomplished in 2012-13 and 2022-23.
IMPRESSIVE RESUME
• The Tigers are building a resume made for March after the victory over No. 4 Alabama Wednesday.
• Coupled with earlier wins in the season against No. 1 Kansas and at No. 5 Florida, Missouri and Auburn are the only two schools in the nation with three top-five victories.
• It also marks just the second time in MU history with three top-five wins – the 1988-89 team defeated No. 5 North Carolina, No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Oklahoma.
NUMBERS BEHIND THE WIN
• Not only did Missouri post a strong win over No. 4 Alabama but did so in an impressive way.
• The team’s 110 points are its most-ever in an SEC game – topping its previous standard of 98 – and second-most against a ranked foe in regulation.
• Additionally, the 110 points are tied for the ninth most in NCAA history in a regulation game against a top-five opponent and most since No. 4 Duke topped No. 2 Kentucky, 118-84, in 2018.
• The 12-point win is also tied for Mizzou’s third largest against a top-five school and largest since topping No. 3 Oklahoma, 67-52, in 2003.
PLAYING ITS BEST BASKETBALL
• The win over Alabama Wednesday showcased how strong the Tigers are playing as of late.
• Mizzou has won its last three games by 10-plus points – the first time Mizzou has won three-straight by double figures in SEC play since 2013.
• Overall, Mizzou and Florida are the only two schools in the SEC this season with six wins by at least 12 points in conference play.
STAY HOT, MARK MITCHELL
• Junior Mark Mitchell has keyed the Tigers’ hot stretch as of late.
• In its win over No. 4 Alabama, Mitchell tallied a career-best 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting.
• His 31-point performance came just one week after previously setting his career high with 25 points in a win over Oklahoma.
• Overall, in his last four games, Mitchell is tallying 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game – shooting 63 percent.
• Mitchell now leads the team with 13.6 points per game, while ranking second with 4.7 rebounds.
LATE SURGE FROM ROBINSON
• One of the most improved players in the SEC, Anthony Robinson II is again playing his best basketball after a midseason slump.
• In his last three games, Robinson is tallying 13.0 points, 3.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game.
• His three-game surge came on the heels of a six-game stretch where he tallied 4.7 points and shooting 25.0 percent.
• The sophomore is now averaging 9.5 points and leads MU with 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals.
GATES NAMED TO WATCH LIST
• Whitten Family Head Coach Dennis Gates was recognized among the nation’s best on Friday.
• Gates was one of 15 coaches nationally named to the Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Watch List.
• It marks the second time in three years Gates was recognized on the watch list.
