Sports
Men's Basketball Opens 2023-24 Campaign Monday Night versus … – Mizzou Athletics
Men’s Basketball
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.
© 2023 – Curators of the University of Missouri. All rights reserved. DMCA and other copyright information.
An equal opportunity/access/affirmative action/pro-disabled and veteran employer. | Disability Resources
Thanks for visiting !
The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy.
We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here.
Thank you for your support!
