T.O. Barrett takes over, scores career-high 28 points in must-have win over Tennessee
By Ethan Stone
Published:
You can’t spell TO Barrett without “tough.”
The sophomore guard was nearly unstoppable in the second half of Missouri’s upset win over No. 22 Tennessee Tuesday night. Barrett, despite not even attempting any 3-pointers, scored a career-high 28 points on 12-17 shooting to lead the Tigers over the Volunteers, 73-69.
Basketball is a team game, and we’ll get to Mark Mitchell’s contributions in a minute, but Barrett’s takeover marked the shift that the Tigers needed to get the job done. After the game, when asked about his run, Barrett simply replied, “It didn’t feel like they could guard me.”
Here’s a look at the highlights from the Tigers’ win.
As mentioned above, Barrett wasn’t doing it alone. Mitchell turned in a great game himself, totaling 23 points on 8-13 shooting. Like Barrett, a decent amount of that production came in the second half. The Tigers scored 36 points in the first half and failed to knock down a 3-pointer, but found their stroke in the second half and rattled off 47 points thanks in large part to Barrett and Mitchell.
Tennessee, meanwhile, just could not stay in front of the Tigers. Bishop Boswell and Ja’Kobi Gillespie really struggled to move laterally to keep up with Barrett, as shown by his 28 points when it was all said and done. Despite Tennessee’s strong defensive numbers, SEC guards have been licking their lips seeing the Vols’ defensive backcourt in league play.
As far as timing is concerned, Tuesday night’s win was now-or-never for the Tigers, who now feel a little better about their spot on the bubble. Mizzou now boasts wins over Tennessee, Florida, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
Missouri basketball has a 68% chance to crack the Field of 68, according to Kalshi. Here’s a look at the latest odds for some other SEC bubble teams:
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
