Florida at Missouri: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

Florida and Missouri game in question amidst Winter Storm Landon

When: Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, at 9 p.m. EST
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Mo.
Watch: SEC Network

As Wednesday night’s contest between Florida and Missouri draws closer, the biggest question seems to revolve around whether the game will occur.

The University of Missouri System announced Monday it would operate remotely Wednesday and Thursday in anticipation of Winter Storm Landon, which will affect 90 million people across the country. Two hours later, Mizzou Athletics announced that student tickets would be reduced to $1.

Despite most employees and students working from home on Wednesday, the plan for student-athletes and athletics staff remains unclear. Disparities in the treatment of athletics-centric employees were addressed in a 2016 NCAA statement as a response to complaints from staff members who reported having to travel to venues, even when the campus had been shut down.

"“Serious consideration should be given to the appropriateness of requiring student-athletes, coaches, and support staff to come to campus when the campus is otherwise closed and classes canceled. Local traffic authorities should be consulted about the safety of local roadways.”"

Missouri (8-12, 2-5 SEC) already postponed its Jan. 5 contest against Mississippi State in response to COVID-19 protocols within the program. The Tigers will now play that match on Feb. 20 as a part of a double-header with the women’s teams.

The postponement forced the Tigers into a tough four-game schedule over an eight-day stretch, including No. 22 Tennessee. Another rescheduled match this late into the season threatens to make the already tough final stretch of games before the conference tournament even more difficult.

If the match does occur, though, it should be a fun one to watch.

Florida (13-8, 3-5 SEC) has been up and down all season, beginning strong with a 71-55 win over cross-state rivals No. 20 Florida State. That momentum would not last long, as the Gators would fall in a 69-54 loss to Texas Southern while they were ranked in the AP poll.

In the Big 12/SEC Challenge, Tyree Appleby scored a season-high 21 points and led Florida to overcome a notable deficit in the second half against Oklahoma State.

Likewise, Missouri has also had an up-and-down season, just with many more downs than ups. However, the Tigers did show some signs of improvement in their last home game with a 55-54 loss to No. 1 Auburn.

That isn’t to say its play in the Big 12/SEC Challenge lived up to that performance. In fact, in many ways, it fell short. Iowa State beat Missouri in almost every statistical category and failed to capture the magic that led to the buzzer-beater game four days prior.

The Tigers’ postseason fate now relies almost solely on a miraculous run in the SEC Tournament, which seems unlikely at best. However, that should be the least of Missouri’s worries at this point.

Putting together games where the team can improve in SEC-quality play should be Missouri’s main focus. If having a strong performance relies on a home-crowd advantage, that’s not going to be conducive to growth for the Tigers.

Furthermore, the Tigers will likely not have a home-court advantage to use on Wednesday night. With campus closures, the chances of fans being in the stands are pretty slim. However, if I were to make a prediction, I wouldn’t put any money on the result, but rather the lack of one.