Missouri vs Howard: 2024-25 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

TV Schedule: Friday, November 08, 8:00 pm ET (ESPN+/SECN+)
Location: Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri

It’s been more than 300 days since Missouri has won a basketball game, and the Tigers will have to wait a few more days to pick up its first win this season. 

On Monday, Missouri took a ten-point lead into the half against Memphis. But much like last year, the offense fell flat in the second half and Missouri ended up losing the game 83-75. Mizzou had four players score in double-figures in the loss - Aidan Shaw with 11 points, Tamar Bates and Trent Pierce added 13 points, and Anthony Robinson II led the Tigers with 16 points. 

Luckily for Missouri, it has a very favorable stretch of games throughout the month of November, where the Tigers should pick up quite a few wins. First up in this stretch is the Howard Bison. Last season Howard won the MEAC tournament earning the conference's auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament before bowing out in the First Four.

This year, Howard is also looking for its first win of the season. Howard took on Kansas on the opening night of the season, a game it lost by 30 points. Blake Harper was the only Bison player to hit double-figures, scoring a team-high 16 points. Howard was thoroughly outmatched against Kansas and struggled to get much going offensively. Howard only managed 19 points in the first half but straightened things out a little in the second half against Kansas’ reserves. 

Howard struggled to make shots from nearly everywhere on the court against Kansas, making just under 38 percent from the floor. The Bison also struggled at the line making five of 12 attempts. The one offensive area that Howard saw some success in was from three, where it made 36.4 percent from deep on 22 attempts.

Although Missouri ended up losing against Memphis, there was a lot to like about its first-half offensive performance. After a slow start to the game, Missouri’s offense really picked up with the second unit. Mostly on the backs of Aidan Shaw and Trent Pierce, who scored 11 of 13 points for Missouri over a three-minute stretch. The Tigers dominated in the paint against Memphis, scoring 26 points in the paint making over 50 percent from two before the break.  

The second-half offense was a completely different story. The offense went stagnant and Memphis was able to force 11 turnovers in the final 20 minutes. If Missouri expects to beat Howard this can’t happen again. The Bison were able to force 14 turnovers against Kansas, so Mizzou will need to take care of the ball. But luckily for Missouri that was about all of the success Howard had on the defensive end of the court. 

Offensively Missouri should be able to score with ease at the rim. Howard lacks any real size or post depth and allowed Kansas to make nearly 69 percent from inside the three-point arc on Monday. Howard also allowed Kansas to make 50 percent from three, so if everything goes right for Missouri points should come from all over the court. 

This should be a huge bounce-back game for Missouri. The Tigers should be able to use its size advantage and depth to keep Howard's offense at bay. The Bison’s lack of interior defense should also allow Missouri to score a ton of points in the paint. I think it's safe to say that Missouri’s 20-game losing streak, dating back to last season, should end on Friday.