Missouri Tigers basketball will meet old Big 12 foe as non-conference slate takes shape

Briar Napier
·2 min read

The Missouri Tigers’ draw for the next Big 12/SEC Challenge certainly could’ve been more daunting.

The Tigers men’s basketball team will take on old Big 12 Conference rival Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum in Ames on Jan. 29, 2022, as part of the annual one-day slate of matchups between the two leagues.

The two teams last played in a home-and-home series in 2017 and 2018, with the home team winning both times.

The Cyclones are coming off a dismal 2020-21 campaign. They went 2-22 without winning a single Big 12 game, and their .083 winning percentage was the lowest in school history. After a win against Jackson State in December, ISU proceeded to lose its next 18 games.

Coach Steve Prohm was fired after the season and replaced by former UNLV coach T.J. Otzelberger. A mass exodus of talent departed Ames, with top-three scorers Rasir Bolton (transferred to Gonzaga), Jalen Coleman-Lands (transferred to Kansas) and Solomon Young (turned pro) all gone.

Senior forward Javan Johnson (9.7 points, 4.3 rebounds) is the team’s leading returner, but Otzelberger did get some solid production from the transfer portal in Penn State transfer guard Izaiah Brockington (12.6 points per game) and Minnesota transfer guard Gabe Kalscheur (9.2 ppg). Former Jayhawks forward Tristan Enaruna (2.6 points in 9.4 minutes per game) also committed to the Cyclones through the portal.

Missouri’s non-conference schedule appears nearly finalized, with the exception of tune-ups against opposition from weaker leagues. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported via Twitter on Tuesday that the Tigers would face SMU in the first round of the 2021 Jacksonville Classic on Nov. 21, with MU playing either Florida State or Loyola Marymount the next day.

Besides the Iowa State clash, the only confirmed dates for Missouri’s non-conference matchups are at Kansas on Dec. 11 and home against Utah on Dec. 18. No dates have been announced yet for the annual Braggin’ Rights showdown against Illinois or games against Liberty and Wichita State.