MU’s first win in over 300 days appears extremely attainable.

Monday’s contest between Mizzou and Memphis was a tale of two halves.

The first saw the road Tigers flying on both sides of the ball. They were forcing missed shots, getting out in transition and slicing the net from downtown. The second half rebound from the home Tigers, however, proved to be the difference. Memphis found a rhythm on offense, and that allowed Penn Hardaway’s crew to apply coherent pressure, which flummoxed Mizzou. The tides completely turned, and MU let what could’ve been a major confidence boost slip away.

After the gut-wrenching collapse, Mizzou has a rock-solid chance to pick up its first victory since Dec. 30 on Friday. For the second straight season, the Tigers will host a mid-major from the District (of Columbia), Maryland and Virginia when Howard comes to town. The Bison were dominated by Kansas 87-57 in its season-opener on Monday, but the back-to-back MEAC champions likely won’t be a cupcake for Mizzou.

The Starters

Mizzou (0-1)

G: Anthony Robinson II (SO, 16 PPG)

G: Caleb Grill (GRAD, 4 PPG)

G: Tamar Bates (SR, 13 PPG)

F: Mark Mitchell (JR, 8 PPG)

C: Josh Gray (SR, 2 PPG)

Notable Sixth Man: Trent Pierce (SO, 13 PPG)

Howard (0-1)

G: Blake Harper (FR, 16 PPG)

G: Bryce Harris (SR, 4 PPG)

G: Marcus Dockery (SR, 7 PPG)

G: Anwar Gill (SR, 7 PPG)

C: Dom Campbell (1 PPG)

Notable Sixth Man: Jaren Johnson (SR, 6 PPG)

Note: These starting lineups are projected.

Get To Know Howard: The new monarchs of the MEAC

Prior to 2022-23, Howard made a grand total of two NCAA Tournament appearances. Over the past two seasons, the Bison have equaled that number, taking back-to-back Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships.

Head coach Kenneth Blakeney has enacted an epic turnaround in Washington DC. His first year with the program saw Howard go 4-29 in a COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign; after only playing five games the following season, the Bison have been on an upward trajectory since then.

Howard finished second in the MEAC in 2021-22 before winning both the regular season and conference tournament crowns the next season, ultimately falling to Kansas in the Round of 64. Last year, the Bison were the No. 4 seed in the MEAC, but they upset top-seeded Norfolk State in the semifinals before knocking off No. 6 Delaware State in the championship. Howard couldn’t get to the 64-team NCAA Tournament field, however, as a second-half comeback wasn’t enough to upend NEC champion Wagner.

This season should prove prosperous once again for the Bison. They were picked to win the MEAC in the conference’s preseason poll, garnering 12 out of 16 first-place votes. Bryce Harris, one of the few players remaining from Howard’s 2023 NCAA Tournament team, was named the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year. The guard from Brentwood, New York averaged almost 17 points per game in 2023-24, including 11 outings with at least 20 points.

3 keys to the game

1. Put two halves together

Falling flat over the final 20 minutes plagued Mizzou like a lethal disease last season, and it popped up again on Monday. Memphis won the second half 51-33, as MU’s shooting went ice-cold (8/24 from the field, 2/9 from three-point range, 15/23 from the free throw line) as well as its ability to take care of the basketball (11 turnovers).

Howard doesn’t have the personnel to bother Mizzou physically like Memphis was able to, as its starting five against Kansas featured four guards 6-foot-5 and shorter. But it’s already proven worthy over an extensive stretch against high-level competition. In their first game against Kansas, the Bison got outscored 46-19 in the first half, which included a stretch of 10 consecutive missed field goals. But the Jayhawks only won the second half 41-38, albeit with a cushy lead.

There’s a good chance Mizzou puts together a high-quality first half like its arch-rivals to the west did earlier this week; whether the Tigers do or don’t, they simply need to be better in the home stretch of contests, and they’d probably like that to start against Howard.

2. Embrace the clunk

When Mizzou cranked up the pace to white-hot, success was aplenty.

Missed shots and turnovers from Memphis enabled MU to move quickly in transition before Memphis could get its defense set. Caleb Grill threw down a pair of transition dunks that were mostly created by him booking it down the floor after a loose ball was corralled by Mizzou. It’s reminiscent of something Kobe Brown said after Mizzou knocked off Tennessee in the 2023 SEC Tournament: it’s hard to play defense when you can’t get back, and that’s exactly what was happening in the first half on Monday.

But the Black & Gold ran into trouble when the game slowed down. Once they beat Memphis’s press — if they were able to beat it — the Tigers couldn’t create many open looks. When they had to manufacture those opportunities themselves instead of capitalizing off of Memphis’s mistakes, MU lacked an ability to effectively do so.

Again, Howard doesn’t present the same physical challenge as Memphis. But being able to operate smoothly in the halfcourt will be paramount to Mizzou being any sort of competitive against high-level competition.

3. Value the basketball

One of the other reasons for Mizzou’s late-game downfall were turnovers.

The 11 giveaways over the final 20 minutes have already been mentioned, but it wasn’t just the quantity of turnovers that was disheartening; it’s how they happened. Many were self-inflicted, whether it was Grill throwing backdoor passes off of a Memphis player’s rear end or Jacob Crews picking up his dribble in the backcourt and throwing the ball out of bounds over Grill’s head.

Upsets in both football and basketball become ripe when the favorite gives the underdog more opportunities to score. It happened last season when Mizzou turned the ball over 18 times in its loss to Jackson State. If Mizzou wants to avoid a repeat of last season’s debacle, that number will have to go way down.

Game Prediction

My Prediction: Missouri 71, Howard 59

It feels like there’s a good chance that this game is frustratingly close. Sure, Mizzou showed that they have the potential to be world’s better than last season. But the Tigers also showed that they can fall on their face, too.

The MEAC has had its moments against high-major squads. The conference’s NCAA Tournament representative has pulled three major upsets in the NCAA Tournament. — No. 15 Coppin State over No. 2 South Carolina in 1997, No. 15 Hampton over No. 2 Iowa State in 2001 and No. 15 Norfolk State over No. 2 Mizzou in 2012.

But the conference isn’t on the strong side of mid-majors; Howard is ranked well into the 200’s in both KenPom and BartTorvik. The Tigers can easily win the physicality battle, and if they’re able to replicate the kind of first half they put together against Memphis, they’ll be in a good spot. While a valiant fight is expected from the opposition, I believe Mizzou will emerge victorious to break one of college basketball’s most embarrassing losing streaks in recent memory.