Missouri basketball ties program record after destroying opponent by 72 points

The Missouri basketball Tigers ripped apart Mississippi Valley State on Thursday, displaying a level of dominance that Columbia has rarely seen. They thoroughly defeated the Delta Devils by a score of 111-39, tying the program’s largest margin of victory.

Mizzou’s 45 points off turnovers and 44 points in the paint were shockingly more than MVSU’s total number of points, per the SportsCenter X account. Calling this a punishing road trip seems like a gross understatement.

Dennis Gates’ Tigers were well-fed from a collective standpoint, with not one player even scoring 20 points. Northern Kentucky transfer Marques Warrick, who averaged only 3.0 points through Missouri’s first three games, led the team with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting off the bench. He also drained four of the squad’s 15 made 3-pointers (sweltering 48.4 percent).

Seven players reached double-figures in this thrashing. The Tigers were massive favorites, but no one expected such a grisly sight in Mizzou Arena. Mississippi Valley State managed to come within 40 points of No. 7 Iowa State, so a 72-point loss to an unranked team does not seem logical. Nevertheless, the SEC school relentlessly and collaboratively used the Delta Devils as its personal punching bag.

Can Missouri basketball bounce back?

Missouri head coach Dennis Gates sparked an immediate turnaround upon arriving in Columbia in 2022, leading the program to a 25-10 record and its first NCAA Tournament win since 2010. The jubilation was short-lived, however, as injuries ravaged the roster last season. The Tigers went a ghastly 0-18 in conference play, and they are expected to finish near the bottom of the league for the 2024-25 campaign.

Although the competition has largely been inferior thus far, maybe a runaway win can give this revamped group some extra confidence before it has to face the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and the rest the SEC has to offer. Missouri basketball (3-1) will strive for another lopsided outcome when it hosts Pacific (3-2) next Friday.