3 Critical Components for Mizzou Basketball to Maintain Success in 2025-2026: The Extra Point

Watch the video below as Missouri basketball reporter Killian Wright details three scenarios Missouri basketball needs to happen for a successful 2025-2026 season.

Welcome to Missouri Tigers On SI's "Extra Point," a video series featuring the site's Missouri beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers provide analysis on a topic concerning the Tigers or the landscape of college sports.

After Dennis Gates' impressive debut 2022-2023 season, the Tigers lost their top four scorers to the NBA and graduation. The following year, Missouri finished winless in conference play for the first time since the 1907-1908 season.

Gates and the Tigers bounced back in 2024-2025, finishing with a 10-8 conference record and returning to the NCAA Tournament. Now, they face a situation similar to the aforementioned prelude of collapse, as three of the Tigers top six scorers won't be returning to the program next season.

Along with seven returners, Missouri brought in five transfers and two incoming freshman, but what does this group need to do to prevent a a cycle similar to the 2023-2024 disaster season.

1. 3-Point Shooting

With the losses of Caleb Grill, Tamar Bates and Marques Warrick, the Tigers are down three 39 percent or higher 3-point shooters. Spacing will be crucial for the Tigers offense to succeed, and it's stacked up to be a much more glaring problem than last season's crew.

Solutions to this could be Jacob Crews returning to form, who shot 41.4 percent from deep in his 2023-2024 campaign, despite falling to 33.6 with Missouri. Rising junior Trent Pierce taking a leap in his shooting would greatly increase the Tigers' lineup versatility, as he'd be one of few Tigers who can both defend and shoot.

2. Ball Pressure

Anthony Robinson II averaged 2 steals per game last season en-route to being named to the Southeastern Conference All-Defensive Team — the second Tiger in school history to earn those honors. Missouri's guard rotation for the upcoming season seems to be built in similar vein to Robinson; full of high-pressuring, feisty defenders.

Rising sophomore T.O. Barrett didn't have a consistent role last season, but was often an intense full-court pickup defender when playing. UCLA transfer Sebastian Mack averaged 1.1 steals per game for his career, and is projected to start alongside Robinson.

3. A Third Star

Last year, Mark Mitchell, Bates and Grill took on a shared role as the Tigers' three stars, with others playing complementary roles. Mitchell remains with the team, and Robinson is the most obvious choice to leap into a leadership role alongside him, but who could the third star be?

Pierce is a candidate, as he stands at a lanky 6-foot-10 with ball skills and a streaky jumper. Mack could be another due to his previous high-usage roles at UCLA, but had efficiency struggles, holding 40.4 / 29.6 career shooting splits. One of these two will likely be tasked of filling the void as Missouri's third big-time scorer, and need to step up.