Mizzou overcomes slow start, upsets top-25 Tennessee 73-69

Over the first four minutes of its matchup Tuesday night against Tennessee, Missouri men’s basketball had one of its worst stretches of hoops all season long.

The Tigers dug themselves a quick 10-point hole as they failed to find any semblance of rhythm on offense and got completely outclassed on the boards.

Trailing by double-digits in the game’s opening minutes is never where you want to be. But Mizzou found a way to overcome that early obstacle, scoring a 73-69 upset over the 22nd-ranked Volunteers in Columbia.

Guard play was a nagging issue in MU’s loss Saturday at Arkansas as the Tigers struggled to keep up with the Razorbacks’ backcourt pairing of Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas.

T.O. Barrett responded with one of his finest performances in a Mizzou uniform. He put up 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting against Tennessee, setting a new career high in scoring.

Barrett got some timely help and shooting from Anthony Robinson II, who finished with eight points and three rebounds. Robinson’s three pointer with just under eight minutes remaining in the second half put MU ahead 56-48, capping a 13-3 run that gave the Tigers their first convincing lead of the contest.

But it was Mark Mitchell who formed the other half of Mizzou’s dynamic duo Tuesday, finishing the game with 23 points and going 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Free throw shooting has been a weak point for MU throughout the year, but the Tigers hit 17 of their 22 shots from the line against the Volunteers.

Mizzou also won the turnover battle convincingly against UT, another rare sight this season, and scored 23 points off 15 Vols giveaways.

Tennessee countered with a dominant advantage on the glass, taking the rebounding battle 42-30. The Volunteers also grabbed 18 offensive boards, leading to 20 second-chance points.

Felix Okpara and Nate Ament were both key causes of UT’s dominance down low, combining to score 32 points. Okpara, in particular, feasted in the paint and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field.

But Tennessee’s advantage on the interior wasn’t enough to overcome the strong nights from Barrett and Mitchell. Barrett’s final basket of the night put MU ahead by four with 57 seconds remaining, and the Tigers went 4-for-5 from the line to seal the victory.

The win lifts Mizzou to 19-9 and 9-6 in conference play, moving the Tigers another step closer to feeling comfortable about their standing with the selection committee.

MU will look to record its 20th win of the season when it travels to Starkville for a matchup Saturday against Mississippi State. That game tips off at noon and will be broadcast on SEC Network.