Missouri Tigers Face Setback at Bud Walton Arena Against Arkansas Razorbacks

In a closely contested conference game, the Missouri Tigers, ranked 20th, fell to the 13th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks with a final score of 74-68. The Tigers now hold a record of 0-1 while the Razorbacks improve to 1-0.

The game unfolded at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville before an energetic crowd of 19,200 spectators. The Missouri Tigers started strong, matching their opponents point for point and ending the first half tied at one lead change. However, despite their efforts and maintaining an assist-turnover ratio of 1.33 with only ten total turnovers, they could not sustain their momentum into the second half.

The Tigers' offense was led by impressive field goal attempts totaling fifty-four shots but only managed to convert them into points at a rate of forty-four percent. From beyond the arc, they attempted nineteen three-pointers and succeeded on six occasions—a thirty-two percent success rate. Inside the paint proved more fruitful for Missouri as they scored twenty-eight points.

Defensively, Missouri showed resilience with seven steals matching that of Arkansas and contributed two blocks during playtime. However, they struggled on rebounds against Arkansas's dominant presence under both baskets; managing only twenty-three rebounds compared to forty by their opponents.

Arkansas capitalized on fast breaks scoring eighteen fast break points and outperformed in second-chance opportunities with seventeen second-chance points due to thirteen offensive rebounds which helped them secure their victory in front of a home crowd.

Looking ahead for the Missouri Tigers is another chance to engage fans at Mizzou Arena when they host Vanderbilt Commodores on January 7th at noon local time (5 PM GMT). Fans can catch this matchup broadcasted nationally on CBS where both teams will look to assert themselves early in conference play.