Why Mizzou’s blowout win vs. John Calipari, Arkansas was extra special for 2 players

John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks are still searching for their first SEC win

The red-hot Missouri Tigers (15-3, 4-1 SEC), on the other hand, are still riding high from their ranked win over No. 5 Florida earlier this week.

The Tigers extended their conference win streak to four in Saturday’s 83-65 win against Arkansas (11-7, 0-5 SEC).

Saturday’s win included two Tigers joining the 1,000 point club, with Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates hitting the mark for their careers. Grill tied Mark Mitchell with an MU-best 17 points, capping off his night with a steal and dunk to put Mizzou up 20 with 1:30 left.

“I am thankful to coach both of those young men,” head coach Dennis Gates said of Grill and Bates. “They’re my captains and they weren’t paying attention to 1,000 points.”

That said, Bates did have one question: If two players had ever reached 1,000 on the same night together.

“Somebody’s gotta look into that,” Bates said.

Grill went 7-for-10 from the field (3-of-5 from 3). Bates scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

“I just wanted to come out with a (win), and God willing I was able to score 1,000 points,” Bates said. He also noted Grill “practices harder than anybody” he’s seen.

In a game in which Mizzou only trailed for 59 seconds, the Tigers pulled away early. Mizzou used an 18-0 run to take control after giving up the first two points — a Jonas Aidoo dunk. Mizzou held a 52-35 lead at half.

The Grill and Bates duo combined for 26 of the Tigers’ 52 first-half points, shooting a combined 6-of-9 from 3 in the frame. The Tigers finished the night shooting 47.8% from 3.

The Razorbacks trimmed the MU lead to 12 on the back of a 6-0 run in the early minutes of the second half. At one point, with under 10 minutes to play, Arkansas cut the margin to 10.

But the Tigers answered. After taking the initial 18-2 lead, they never let the margin get closer than 10. They pushed their advantage out as large as 20 and officially led for 38:40 of game time.

The Tigers’ 15-3 start is the their best since their final year in the Big 12 (2011-12 season). But Gates still isn’t satisfied.

“We’re not even at our peak,” Gates said. “I don’t think we’re playing well. I’m dead serious. You guys may laugh at it, but I’m telling you, we have about two or three more steps to go.”

Up next: The Tigers hit the road for a matchup with former Big 12 foe Texas in Austin. This will be their first meeting since March 2012. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on Tuesday, January 21.