Missouri
Miami
Men's Basketball Faces No. 25 Miami in NCAA First Round
3/18/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| Missouri (20-12, 10-8 SEC) vs. Miami (25-8, 13-5 SEC) | |
| Game Details | Friday, March 20 • 9:10 p.m. • St. Louis, Mo. • Enterprise Center |
| Television | truTV |
| Radio | Tiger Radio Network | Sirius XM: 208 or 201 | Sirius XM App: 963 |
| Game Notes | Missouri | Miami |
| Game Coverage | Live Stats | Twitter: @MizzouHoops | Instagram: @MizzouHoops |
The Mizzou men's basketball team begins its quest for a national championship when it opens play in the 2026 NCAA Tournament against Miami on Friday. Tipoff in St. Louis is set for approximately 9:10 p.m. on truTV.
| TOURNAMENT CENTRAL |
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Missouri is a No. 10 seed for the NCAA Tournament after posting a 20-12 overall record in 2025-26.
• The Tigers finished seventh in a SEC that sent 10 teams to the dance, going 10-8 in league play.
• Mizzou is coming off a 78-72 loss to Kentucky in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
• All-SEC honoree Mark Mitchell led MU during his senior campaign, posting team-best totals with 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
• Three Tigers score in double figures with Jayden Stone (13.2) and Trent Pierce (10.6) following Mitchell's lead.
• The Tigers own a scoring offense of 79.7 points with a scoring defense of 75.3.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES
• Miami owns a 25-8 overall record this season after finishing third in the ACC with a 13-5 mark.
• The Hurricanes are led by Malik Reneau, who tallied 18.8 points per game.
• Tre Donaldson is second with 16.5 points to go with a team-best 5.8 assists, while Ernest Udeh Jr. has a Miami-leading 9.3 rebounds.
• The Hurricanes are tallying 81.9 points per game, while allowing 71.2.
SERIES HISTORY
• The schools have met once prior, squaring off in the first round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
• The 12th-seeded Tigers defeated fifth-seeded Miami, 93-80, in Albuquerque. Clarence Gilbert led six Tigers in double figures with 20 points.
• Mizzou would ultimately advance to its fourth Elite Eight in school history (in San Jose) after the first-round win.
TIGERS VERSUS ACC
• Missouri owns a 15-21 all-time record against schools from the ACC with 19 of the 36 meetings coming on a neutral court.
• MU is 1-3 versus the league in NCAA Tournament play, defeating Clemson in 2010, while falling to North Carolina (2000), Duke (2001) and Florida State (2018).
• The Tigers are 2-1 against ACC schools under Coach Gates – all in the ACC/SEC Challenge, defeating Pittsburgh in 2023 and California in 2024, while falling at Notre Dame this season.
HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE?
• The Tigers are staying close to home and making the short trip to St. Louis for the opening rounds.
• Enterprise Center is located just 126 miles away from Mizzou Arena.
• It is the second time the Tigers will play an NCAA Tournament game in St. Louis, falling to Houston in the 1982 Sweet 16.
MIAMI CONNECTIONS
• There are a number of familiar faces between the two programs.
• Miami sophomore Marcus Allen spent his rookie campaign at Mizzou in 2024-25.
• Charlton Young is also in his first year as associate coach at Miami after spending three years at Mizzou as the team's associate head coach.
• Mizzou's Anthony Robinson II and Miami's Tre Donaldson were also teammates at Florida State University High School, helping the school to the 2022 state championship.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Mizzou is competing in its 31st NCAA Tournament.
• The Tigers are 23-30 all-time in their first 53 NCAA Tournament contests
• Mizzou has earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since a run of five-straight from 2009 to 2013.
• Overall, it marks the third NCAA Tournament bid in four years for the Tigers under head coach Dennis Gates.
• MU has advanced as far as the Elite Eight on five occasions (1944, 1976, 1994, 2002 and 2009).
TOURNAMENT NUMBERS TO KNOW
• The Tigers earned the No. 10 seed for the third time in their history.
• Mizzou fell in the first round as a 10 seed in 1993, while going 1-1 in 2010.
• Overall, MU owns an 11-14 record in the round of 64 and is also 7-16 all-time as the lower seed with its last upset win in 2010.
BATTLE TESTED IN THE SEC
• Mizzou is one of 10 SEC schools to earn an NCAA Tournament bid this season.
• It marks just the third time in tournament history a league earned 10-plus bids (14 by SEC last season and 10 by Big East in 2011).
• Overall, Mizzou is 7-8 versus NCAA Tournament teams this season, while Miami is 4-6.
• The schools also shared one common opponent this season with Mizzou defeating Florida, 76-74, and the Gators topping Miami, 82-68.
NCAA TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
• Seven of the 14 Tigers have played in the NCAA Tournament in the past for a total of 13 games.
• Of the Tigers usual eight-man rotation, only Trent Burns, Shawn Phillips Jr. and Jayden Stone are making their tournament debuts.
• Mark Mitchell has had the most success in the dance, making the Elite Eight at Duke in 2024.
• Miami has three players with NCAA Tournament experience for a total of 12 games.
