The Missouri men’s basketball team tips off the 2023-24 campaign on Monday night, hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The season opener begins at 7 p.m. inside renovated Mizzou Arena.
PROMOTIONS
• Prior to Monday’s season opener, the Tigers will unveil their 2022-23 NCAA Tournament banner.
• Fans can also celebrate the 2022-23 campaign with a commemorative photo book.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Missouri finished the 2022-23 campaign – the debut season for Whitten Family Head Coach Dennis Gates – with a 25-10 record.
• The Tigers placed fourth in the SEC with an 11-7 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Graduate Noah Carter is the team’s top returning scorer (9.6) and rebounder (4.0).
• The Tigers also return their top two players in assists from a year ago – Nick Honor (103) and Sean East II (89).
• The Tigers ranked 26th nationally in scoring offense last year (78.9 points per game).
ABOUT GOLDEN LIONS
• Arkansas-Pine Bluff posted a 10-21 record in 2022-23, placing ninth in the SWAC at 6-12.
• Kylen Milton is the team’s top returner after posting 13.2 points and 4.2 assists per game.
• The Golden Lions are looking to replace two other double-digit scorers in Shaun Doss Jr. (17.7) and Chris Greene (11.5).
SERIES HISTORY
• The schools have met on five previous occasions – all in Columbia – with MU winning each one.
• In fact, all five wins have come by at least 18 points with an average margin of victory of 41.8.
• The teams last met in 2015 with Missouri posting a 78-25 victory – the team’s fewest points allowed since 1947.
MIZZOU VERSUS SWAC
• Missouri has won all 23 meetings versus SWAC opposition with 22 of the 23 contests at home.
• The Tigers have defeated SWAC schools by nearly 32 points per game, 88.3 to 56.7
• Only once has a game been decided by single digits – an 80-76 win over Jackson State in 1993.
MIZZOU IN SEASON OPENERS
• Missouri is set to open its 118th season of action on Monday night against the Golden Lions.
• The Tigers own a 96-21 all-time record in season openers (82.1 winning percentage), including a mark of 81-9 in Columbia (90.0%).
• Missouri has won its opener in its last eight years (by an average of 21.9) and 22 of its last 23, dating back to 2000-01.
• Nov. 6 is tied for the earliest opener in MU history.
RENOVATED MIZZOU ARENA
• Fans will get their first glimpse of renovated Mizzou Arena during Monday’s game.
• New features inside the arena that opened in 2004 include new black seats to replace the original gold seating, a new scoreboard that is 30 percent bigger than previous one (four displays of 16.5′ wide and 24.5′ tall) and an updated lighting system that will enhance fan experience.
2022-23 NOTABLES
• MU is looking to build off its momentum from last season when Whitten Family Head Coach Dennis Gates led the Tigers to a banner year.
• Tied for fourth, MU matched its best SEC finish since joining the conference in 2012-13.
• Mizzou then advanced to the SEC Semifinals for the first time in program history, defeating No. 17/19 Tennessee in the quarterfinals.
• The Tigers capped the season with their first NCAA Tournament victory in 13 years with a 76-65 first-round win over Utah State.
• Overall, MU’s 25 wins were its most in 11 seasons.
READY FOR AN ENCORE
• The Tigers are now aiming to follow up its strong debut season under Dennis Gates
• MU is targeting an NCAA bid in consecutive seasons for the first time since five-straight invites from 2009 to 2013.
• The Tigers are also aiming for back-to-back top-four finishes for the first time since doing so in the 1994 and 1995 Big 8.
EXPERIENCED ROSTER
• A veteran roster will take on the challenges of the 2023-24 campaign for Mizzou.
• The average age of the Tigers this season is 21.1 years old (21.5 when not including walk-ons).
• Overall, the Tigers boast 998 games of Division I experience with 466 games started.
• Seven different Tigers are in their fifth year of college basketball with nine players having appeared in at least 50 games previously.
LEADING THREAT IN CARTER
• As the team’s leading returning scorer, MU hopes that Noah Carter can build off the momentum of his strong finish from his first year in the SEC.
• Carter finished 2022-23 on a high note with nearly 12 points in the final eight contests – increasing his shooting by more than 11 percent and his 3-point mark by more than 13 percent.
• Overall, Carter tallied 9.6 points in his first year at Mizzou with 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists.