CBB Rank 2025: No. 29, Missouri Basketball

Dennis Gates looks to bring more consistency to the Missouri basketball program and started it off with as good a retention rate as anyone in college hoops.

The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Missouri basketball.

In year one at Missouri, Dennis Gates led the Tigers to 25 wins. Year two? 8 wins. Last season? 22 wins. So based on that, Missouri will win anywhere between 3 and 30 games this season. There has been no consistency to start his tenure.

But, Gates is a good coach, and it’s better to look at that rough 2023-24 season as an outlier.

Still, he’ll need to get the most out of a team that loses two of its top three scorers, who all averaged between 13.3 and 13.9 PPG. Mark Mitchell averaged the better number, and he’s back, giving Mizzou a clear scoring option. Anthony Robinson (9.0 PPG), Trent Pierce (6.7 PPG), and Jacob Crews (5.6 PPG) are also back and will probably round out the starting five.

Gates opted to grab a few freshmen who probably won’t crack the rotation, instead making the most out of the transfer portal. Former UCLA guard Sebastian Mack should join the backcourt, Arizona State big man Shawn Phillips Jr. should be good in relief, and Detroit Mercy transfer Jayden Stone could provide a boost in scoring.

Further down the rotation, Annor Boateng is back and stretch big Jevon Porter comes in from Loyola Marymount. That should make for a nine-man rotation with another year of pretty even scoring all around.

Missouri definitely lost some talent, but Gates did enough to replace it and keep them high up in the SEC.

Head coach: Dennis Gates (4th season at Missouri, 7th season overall)

2024-25 record: 22-12 (10-8)

2025 postseason finish: Lost to Drake (67-57) in first round of NCAA Tournament

Notable departures: 

• Caleb Grill (13.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.7 SPG, 39.6 3P%)
• Tamar Bates (13.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 50.8 FG%, 39.7 3P%)
• Tony Perkins (8.7 PPG, 2.5 APG, 2.5 RPG, 1.1 SPG)
• Marques Warrick (6.6 PPG, 1.3 APG, 0.9 RPG, 45.6 3P%)
• Josh Gray (3.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 53.1 FG%)
• Aidan Shaw (2.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.2 APG, 63.8 FG%)
• Marcus Allen (2.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.5 APG)

Notable non-conference games: 

• vs. Minnesota (Nov. 12)
• at Notre Dame (Dec. 2)
• vs. Kansas (Dec. 7) – Kansas City, MO
• vs. Illinois (Dec. 22) – Saint Louis, MO

Projected Rotation

PG: Anthony Robinson II (6-3, 185, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 9.0 PPG, 3.5 APG, 3.1 RPG, 2.0 SPG

SG: Sebastian Mack (6-3, 195, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 9.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.7 APG (UCLA)

SF: Jacob Crews (6-8, 215, Gr.-Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 5.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.3 APG

PF: Trent Pierce (6-10, 225, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 6.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.0 APG

C: Mark Mitchell (6-9, 230, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 13.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 50.5 FG%

6: Shawn Phillips Jr. (7-0, 245, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 5.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 0.6 APG, 1.1 BPG, 57.3 FG% (Arizona State)

7: Jayden Stone (6-4, 185, Gr.-Sr.)

2023-24 stats: 20.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.5 SPG (Detroit Mercy)

*Did not play in 2024-25

8: Annor Boateng (6-6, 220, So.)

2024-25 stats: 1.9 PPG, 0.6 RPG, 0.3 APG

9: Jevon Porter (6-11, 230, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 12.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.1 BPG, 39.4 FG% (Loyola Marymount)

10: Trent Burns (7-5, 260, Rs.-Fr.)

247Sports Composite #102-ranked recruit (2024)

11: Luke Northweather (6-11, 235, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 2.7 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.4 APG (Oklahoma)

12: T.O. Barrett (6-4, 205, So.)

2024-25 stats: 1.9 PPG, 0.6 APG, 0.4 RPG, 58.3 FG%

13: Aaron Rowe (6-2, 155, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #171-ranked recruit

14: Nicholas Randall (6-9, 240, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #167-ranked recruit

Missouri basketball team MVP: Mark Mitchell

The lone returning player who averaged over 10 PPG, Mitchell is a beast to handle inside, but also has a lot of finesse in his game. While he’s definitely a big man, Mitchell can stretch defenses, especially with his ability to drive from the three-point line inside the paint, instead of just posting up.

While Mitchell is good – he’s also not dominant – it’s tough to say he can be a great number one option to lead a team. He’ll need a lot of help and teammates to step up and fill their roles to elevate his game. Mitchell is certainly a leader and a talented, versatile player, but don’t think of him as a guy who will take over a game.

Missouri basketball make-or-break player: Jayden Stone

Missouri’s guard play is good – but not outstanding. A starting backcourt of Anthony Robinson II and Sebastian Mack is serviceable, and possibly above-average. But in the SEC, they still might not be a top-five backcourt.

That’s where Stone, a high-scoring, high-volume guy from Detroit Mercy comes in. He played for a program that usually hands one player the keys and they get to show off their scoring (ex. Antoine Davis).

However, Stone didn’t play last season due to injury and going from the Titans to the Tigers is a huge upgrade.

Obviously, he’s not going to be a 20 PPG type of guy – and probably won’t average 10 PPG. So for Missouri, it’ll be a challenge to get a guy who is used to putting up a lot of shots to come in and maybe get five or six shots per game. If he can be efficient in that role, it adds some needed depth to Mizzou’s backcourt.

Key analytic: Free throws per game

Last season, Missouri averaged north of 80 PPG, 9th best in the country. They were able to do that for a few reasons – creating steals and points off turnovers, hitting over 36% of threes as a team, and hitting over 56% of twos.

But more impressive than all of that? Mizzou averaged 19.7 free throw makes per game, second-best in the country. While they weren’t lights out from the line, the Tigers still were 141st at 73% as a team.

While Missouri also fouled a lot last season, they made it a habit of getting to the free-throw line. And the two best at that – Mitchell and Robinson – are back. There are a few new faces, but expect the same type of product from this season’s Missouri basketball team.

Missouri basketball 2025-26 projections

Projected conference finish: 7th in the SEC

Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 exit