Red-hot Missouri hosts Prairie View A&M, aiming for 5-0 start

Missouri will try to continue its strong start to the season when it hosts Prairie View A&M in a nonconference game Monday night in Columbia, Mo.

The Tigers (4-0) have won their games by an average of 21.75 points, most recently defeating Minnesota 83-60. It marked the program's largest win over a Big Ten school and included 41 points off the bench.

"I saw unselfishness, next-man-up mentality," Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. "It just speaks about our depth, the depth of our team. The strength of our team is in the numbers."

Missouri has nine players averaging at least 14 minutes per game, with five scoring in double figures. Leading the way is senior forward Mark Mitchell, who is averaging 20 points on 65.9% shooting.

Prairie View (2-2) is seeking its first nonconference win over a Division I opponent in two years, losing its last 21 opportunities. The Panthers opened the season with wins over two non-D1 schools before losing at Wichita State and Oklahoma State by a combined 70 points.

"Our overall team is better, (we've) got a really mature group," said coach Byron Smith, who took Prairie View to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.

Senior guard Tai'Reon Joseph leads Prairie View in scoring at 19.3 points per game. This is his fifth D1 school, and second in the Southwest Athletic Conference, after averaging 20.5 points for Southern in the 2023-24 season.

Missouri is second in the country shooting 57.6% from the field, and 15th from the 3-point line at 44.2%. Prairie View has limited opponents to 29.8% from outside.

The Tigers have won 18 consecutive nonconference games at Mizzou Arena, but their last home loss outside of Southeastern Conference play came to a SWAC school in 2023, when they fell to Jackson State. Prairie View has not beaten a power-conference school since knocking off Washington State in 2022.

--Field Level Media