Yahoo Sports How the Missouri Tigers’ SEC basketball losing streak grew at No. 2-ranked Auburn
It’s been 666 days since the Missouri Tigers last won an Southeastern Conference men’s basketball game.
That was in Nashville, when the Tigers knocked off Tennessee 79-71 in the 2022-23 SEC Tournament. What followed is a 20-game losing streak that became 21 Saturday when Missouri fell 84-68 at Auburn in both teams’ SEC opener.
It was a valiant effort from Mizzou on the road against the No. 2 team in the country. MU shot the ball well enough, but at times it seemed like Auburn couldn’t miss.
That is what the orange-and-blue Tigers do when they are playing at home inside Neville Arena. In seven home games before Saturday, Auburn had an average margin of victory of 36.1 points.
The home Tigers shot 14 for 24 from the field in the first half and an eye-popping 7 for 13 from 3-point range. Auburn finished the game with 10 made 3-pointers and shot 28 for 49 from the field.
It was a team effort, as Denver Jones, Chad Baker-Mazara and Taha Pettiford finished with at least two 3-point field goals made.
Auburn superstar Johni Broome was a matchup nightmare, scoring 24 points, grabbing seven rebounds, blocking four shots and dishing two assists. He was all over the place, shooting 9 for 13 from the field and knocking down a 3-pointer.
Missouri weathered its worst first-half shooting of the season, going 11-for-26 (42%) from the floor. The Tigers were just 2 for 10 from 3-point range.
Auburn extended the lead to 26 halfway through the second half, but that was when Gates made a change in his lineup, subbing in an entire five of nonstarters that included Marques Warrick.
It was one of the best stretches of play in Warrick’s time in black and gold, as he finished with 19 points, three rebounds and two assists. He shot 5 for 8 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range. He also went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
The senior guard has the third-most points among active players in Division I basketball, trailing only Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson and Alabama’s Mark Sears. Warrick entered the season as the active leading scorer.
It seemed like Gates might have been attempting to send a message to some of his veteran players, playing true freshman Annor Boateng, T.O. Barrett and Marcus Allen for a majority of the second half.
Allen — who has steadily received more playing time as the season has progressed based on his defense but has also shown flashes offensively and has displayed solid free-throw shooting — played the best of the bunch, scoring nine points in 22 minutes of play and grabbing five rebounds.
Boateng and Barrett were quiet, scoring two and one points, respectively.
Gates played his starters a minimal amount. Anthony Robinson II played 14 minutes, Josh Gray just nine. The only MU starter to top 20 minutes of playing time Saturday was Tamar Bates, who played 23 and scored eight points, all in the opening half.
Missouri will turn its attention to LSU — an 80-72 loser at home to Vanderbilt — at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Mizzou Arena.
Copyright 2024 Columbia Missourian
