# 2021–22 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Missouri in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and were led by head coach Cuonzo Martin, who was in his fifth year at Missouri. The team played its home games at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri as a tenth-year members of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 12–21, 5–13 in SEC play to finish in 12th place. They defeated Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC tournament before losing to LSU in the second round.
On March 11, 2022, the school fired head coach Cuonzo Martin. On March 22, the school named Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates the team's new head coach.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the Tigers finish the 2020–21 season 16– 10, 8–8 in SEC play to finish in seventh place. They defeated Georgia in the second round of the SEC tournament before losing to Arkansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the West Region. There they lost in the First Round to Oklahoma.

### Departures

Listed below are players who have entered their names in the Transfer pool and can at anytime remove their name and return to Missouri. Seniors listed below have the option to use their additional year of eligibility.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Torrence Watson | 0 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Junior | St. Louis, MO | Transferred to Elon |
| Xavier Pinson | 1 | G | 6'2" | 170 | Junior | Chicago, IL | Transferred to LSU |
| Drew Buggs | 2 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Graduate Student | Long Beach, CA | Transferred to Winthrop |
| Mitchell Smith | 5 | F | 6'10" | 221 | RS-Senior | Van Buren, AR | Graduated, signed with Norrköping Dolphins |
| Ed Chang | 11 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Junior | Papillion, NE | Entered Transfer Pool |
| Dru Smith | 12 | G | 6'3" | 203 | RS-Senior | Evansville, IL | Graduated |
| Mark Smith | 13 | G | 6'5" | 220 | Senior | Decatur, IL | Graduate Transfer to Kansas State |
| Jeremiah Tilmon | 23 | C | 6'10" | 260 | Senior | East St. Louis, IL | Graduated, signed with Lakeland Magic |
| Parker Braun | 42 | F | 6'8" | 217 | RS-Sophomore | Overland Park, KS | Transferred to Santa Clara |

### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Anton Brookshire G | Springfield, Missouri | Kickapoo High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | May 7, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Yaya Keita C | St. Louis, Missouri | De Smet Jesuit High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Sep 10, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Trevon Brazile F | Springfield, Missouri | Parkview High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Sep 8, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Sean Durugordon F | Putnam, Connecticut | Putnam Science Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Aug 26, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Kaleb Brown G | Huntsville, Alabama | Lee High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | Aug 24, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: ||||||

### Incoming Transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Amari Davis | 1 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Junior | Trotwood, OH | Transfer from Green Bay. Will have three years of eligibility remaining. |
| Jarron Coleman | 5 | G | 6'5" | 210 | Redshirt Junior | Indianapolis, IN | Transfer from Ball State. Will have three years of eligibility remaining. |
| DaJuan Gordon | 12 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Junior | Chicago, IL | Transfer from Kansas State. Will have three years of eligibility remaining. |
| Ronnie DeGray III | 21 | F | 6'6" | 225 | Sophomore | Parker, CO | Transfer from UMass. |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular Season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Central Michigan | W 78–68 | 1–0 | 18 – Pickett | 12 – DeGray III | 5 – Coleman | Mizzou Arena (7,272) Columbia, MO |
| November 15, 2021* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Kansas City | L 66–80 | 1–1 | 20 – Ko. Brown | 7 – Davis | 4 – Gordon | Mizzou Arena (6,887) Columbia, MO |
| November 18, 2021* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Northern Illinois Jacksonville Classic campus game | W 54–37 | 2–1 | 13 – Ko. Brown | 13 – Ko. Brown | 6 – Ko. Brown | Mizzou Arena (6,302) Columbia, MO |
| November 21, 2021* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. SMU Jacksonville Classic Duval semifinal game | W 80–75 $^{OT}$ | 3–1 | 24 – Ko. Brown | 8 – Gordon | 7 – Coleman | UNF Arena (1,632) Jacksonville, FL |
| November 22, 2021* 7:30 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Florida State Jacksonville Classic Duval championship | L 58–81 | 3–2 | 14 – Davis | 5 – Gordon | 3 – Tied | UNF Arena (1,641) Jacksonville, FL |
| November 26, 2021* 8:00 p.m., SECN | | Wichita State | L 55–61 | 3–3 | 17 – Davis | 8 – Ko. Brown | 4 – Coleman | Mizzou Arena (NR) Columbia, MO |
| November 29, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | Paul Quinn College | W 91–59 | 4–3 | 20 – Ko. Brown | 23 – Ko. Brown | 6 – Ko. Brown | Mizzou Arena (6,106) Columbia, MO |
| December 2, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Liberty | L 45–66 | 4–4 | 14 – Ko. Brown | 10 – Ko. Brown | 2 – Ko. Brown | Liberty Arena (4,005) Lynchburg, VA |
| December 7, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | Eastern Illinois | W 72–44 | 5–4 | 15 – Davis | 11 – Ko. Brown | 5 – Pickett | Mizzou Arena (6,335) Columbia, MO |
| December 11, 2021* 2:15 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 8 Kansas Border War | L 65–102 | 5–5 | 19 – Pickett | 6 – Brown | 3 – Gordon | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| December 18, 2021* 3:30 p.m., SECN | | Utah | W 83–75 | 6–5 | 27 – Brown | 7 – DeGray III | 3 – Pickett | Mizzou Arena (6,782) Columbia, MO |
| December 22, 2021* 8:00 p.m., BTN | | vs. Illinois Braggin' Rights | L 63–88 | 6–6 | 16 – Coleman | 7 – Brown | 1 – Brookshire | Enterprise Center (14,953) St. Louis, MO |
| SEC regular Season |||||||||
| December 29, 2021 6:00 p.m., SECN | | at No. 18 Kentucky | L 56–83 | 6–7 (0–1) | 10 – Tied | 6 – Pickett | 3 – Coleman | Rupp Arena (19,361) Lexington, KY |
| January 8, 2022 2:30 p.m., SECN | | No. 15 Alabama | W 92–86 | 7–7 (1–1) | 30 – Ko. Brown | 13 – Ko. Brown | 6 – Coleman | Mizzou Arena (10,903) Columbia, MO |
| January 12, 2022 8:00 p.m., SECN | | at Arkansas | L 43–87 | 7–8 (1–2) | 12 – Pickett | 8 – Brazile | 3 – Coleman | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 15, 2022 2:30 p.m., SECN | | Texas A&M | L 64–67 | 7–9 (1–3) | 14 – Coleman | 9 – Ko. Brown | 5 – Davis | Mizzou Arena (7,989) Columbia, MO |
| January 18, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Ole Miss | W 78–53 | 8–9 (2–3) | 23 – Davis | 13 – Coleman | 7 – Coleman | SJB Pavilion (6,514) Oxford, MS |
| January 22, 2022 5:00 p.m., SECN | | at Alabama | L 76–86 | 8–10 (2–4) | 17 – Coleman | 10 – Ko. Brown | 4 – Ko. Brown | Coleman Coliseum (10,799) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 25, 2022 7:30 p.m., SECN | | No. 1 Auburn | L 54–55 | 8–11 (2–5) | 17 – Pickett | 11 – Ko. Brown | 3 – Ko. Brown | Mizzou Arena (10,004) Columbia, MO |
| January 29, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at No. 23 Iowa State Big 12/SEC Challenge | L 50–67 | 8–12 | 15 – Gordon | 7 – Gordon | 3 – Tied | Hilton Coliseum (13,612) Ames, IA |
| February 2, 2022 7:30 p.m., SECN | | Florida | L 65–66 | 8–13 (2–6) | 13 – DeGray III | 9 – Gordon | 4 – Coleman | Mizzou Arena Columbia, MO |
| February 5, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Texas A&M | W 70–66 | 9–13 (3–6) | 21 – Brown | 6 – Brown | 6 – Brown | Reed Arena (8,013) College Station, TX |
| February 8, 2022 8:00 p.m., SECN | | at Vanderbilt | L 62–70 | 9–14 (3–7) | 15 – Pickett | 9 – Brown | 3 – Tied | Memorial Gymnasium (6,406) Nashville, TN |
| February 12, 2022 8:00 p.m., SECN | | Ole Miss | W 74–68 | 10–14 (4–7) | 15 – Murrell | 10 – Rodriguez | 4 – Joiner | Mizzou Arena (8,397) Columbia, MO |
| February 15, 2022 8:00 p.m., SECN | | No. 23 Arkansas | L 57–76 | 10–15 (4–8) | 13 – Pickett | 8 – Brazile | 3 – Coleman | Mizzou Arena (7,448) Columbia, MO |
| February 18, 2022 8:30 p.m., SECN | | at Mississippi State | L 49–68 | 10–16 (4–9) | 13 – DeGray III | 8 – Brazile | 2 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (6,813) Starkville, MS |
| February 20, 2022 7:00 p.m., SECN | | Mississippi State Rescheduled from Jan. 5 | L 56–58 | 10–17 (4–10) | 16 – Pickett | 7 – Brown | 4 – Pickett | Mizzou Arena (7,009) Columbia, MO |
| February 22, 2022 6:00 p.m., SECN | | No. 17 Tennessee | L 61–80 | 10–18 (4–11) | 16 – Pickett | 9 – Brown | 2 – Tied | Mizzou Arena (7,253) Columbia, MO |
| February 26, 2022 7:30 p.m., SECN | | at LSU | L 55–75 | 10–19 (4–12) | 14 – Pickett | 8 – Brown | 7 – Pickett | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,304) Baton Rouge, LA |
| March 1, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at South Carolina | L 69–73 | 10–20 (4–13) | 23 – Pickett | 9 – Brazile | 3 – DeGray III | Colonial Life Arena (9,479) Columbia, SC |
| March 5, 2022 2:30 p.m., SECN | | Georgia | W 79–69 | 11–20 (5–13) | 21 – Brown | 10 – Brazile | 3 – Pickett | Mizzou Arena (8,397) Columbia, MO |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2022 5:00 p.m., SECN | (12) | vs. (13) Ole Miss First round | W 72–60 | 12–20 | 16 – Brown | 8 – Brazile | 4 – Brown | Amalie Arena Tampa, FL |
| March 10, 2022 1:00 p.m., SECN | (12) | vs. (5) LSU Second round | L 68–76 | 12–21 | 19 – Gordon | 8 – Brazile | 5 – Ka. Brown | Amalie Arena Tampa, FL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||