The nonconference schedule for the University of Misssouri men’s basketball season has been finalized, highlighted by rivalry games with the Kansas Jayhawks and Illinois Fighting Illini in December, and a visit from Iowa State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in late January. This season will be the first at Mizzou for head coach Dennis Gates, hired away from Cleveland State University last spring.
The opener for Coach Gates will be at Mizzou Arena on November 7th, with the Tigers hosting first-year Division I foe Southern Indiana. The University of Pennsylvania pays a visit on November 11th, with Lindenwood at Mizzou two nights late.
Southern Illinois-Edwardsville tangles with the Tigers in Columbia on November 15th, before Mississippi Valley State is the opponent on November 20th. Coastal Carolina on the 23rd and Houston Baptist on the 26th will complete Mizzou’s non-conference home dates for November.
On November 29th, the Tigers head to the “Roundhouse” at Wichita State University, as the Shockers host Mizzou at Koch Arena in the only true “road test” of the month for Coach Gates.
December opens with in-state foe Southeast Missouri State at MU on the 4th, with the highly anticipated return of the Kansas Jayhawks to Mizzou Arena to play the Tigers on Saturday, December 10th, marking the 261st all-time meeting between the border rivals, and first at Mizzou Arena since 2012.
Mizzou will play Central Florida in a neutral-site battle in Sunrise, Florida, part of the AutoNation Orange Bowl Classic, before returning to St. Louis, to play Illinois in the annual Braggin’ Rights game on December 22nd.
On Saturday, January 28th, the Iowa State Cyclones head south to Columbia to play Missouri in the annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge, a series featuring all 10 schools in the Big 12, and 10 of the 14 schools that make up the Southeastern Conference.
Mizzou’s SEC opponents have been announced, but specific dates and times for those games will be released later this fall.
