Men’s and Women’s Basketball Opens 2024-25 Season: The Buzz, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024

Missouri men’s basketball will begin its 2024-25 season on the road against Memphis. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. CT at the FedExForum in Memphis, TN. Fans can view the match on ESPN+.

The Tigers aim to turn things around after looking at an anti-climatic performance last season, finishing with an 8-24 record. Head coach Dennis Gates is entering his third season and signed the nation’s No. 5 freshman class and the No. 13 transfer class this postseason.

Senior guard Tamar Bates will return for Missouri, averaging 13.5 points per game overall and 16.2 points per game in SEC play last season. Graduate guard Caleb Grill will also return after missing 23 games last season with a wrist injury.

In Missouri’s Exhibition game against Lincoln, junior guard Mark Mitchell and Grill combined to score 42 points, leading the team to a 90-45 victory over the Memphis Tigers.

This season’s team captains are Bates, Grill and graduate guard Jeremy Sanchez.

Memphis finished their 2023-24 season with a 22-10 record and has maintained at least 20 wins every season under head coach Penny Hardaway, who is in his sixth season with the team. Memphis missed the NCAA Tournament last season after participating in two NCAA tournaments during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

Memphis lost 14 players from last season and brought in 12 transfers to bolster the roster. Redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty led Memphis in its exhibition games against North Carolina and Alabama with averages of 28 points, nine rebounds, 3.5 assists and two steals per game. Last season, Haggerty averaged at least 21 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Currently, Memphis leads the series over Missouri 8-5 and holds a 5-1 record at home against them, with their last matchup occurring in 2003. Last season, Memphis overcame a 14-point deficit to win 70-55 in Columbia, Mo.

Missouri women’s basketball will also begin its 2024-25 season on the road at Vermont. The game will be available on ESPN+, with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m. Head coach Robin Pingeton is in her 15th season and has led Missouri to four NCAA tournament appearances.

The Tigers will have nine players return to the court from last season, including Grace Slaughter, the 2023 McDonald’s All-American and Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year. Slaughter was ranked fifth all-time among the 2023-24 All-SEC Freshman Team with 345 points.

The Tigers welcome four transfers, including senior forward Laniah Randle, junior guard Tilda Sjökvist, senior guard Nyah Wilson and sophomore center Tionna Herron.

Wilson and Randle offer the young team a great veteran player perspective.

Wilson played last season at New Mexico, where she started all 32 games with an average of 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, two assists, 1.3 steals, and .2 blocks per game. Randle, who competed for Southern Illinois last season, averaged a team-high of 18.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Randle was ranked second in the respective conference in scoring and third in rebounding and finished the season 50th in scoring with ten double-doubles.

The meeting between Missouri and Vermont is the first between the two schools. Last season, Vermont finished 25-12 with a 12-4 record in the American East Conference. They also advanced to the Fab 4 of the WNIT after defeating Purdue 67-59 in the Great 8. The Catamounts then lost to Saint Louis in the Fab 4. However, Vermont is 0-11 all-time against SEC opponents.

Graduate forward Anna Olson returns this season after scoring 14 points for the Catamounts in the Great 8 matchup. She was also named to the Preseason All-Conference team for her fourth straight year. Olson averaged 12.3 points per game during conference play and 11.6 overall.

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