Missouri Basketball: 2024-25 season preview for the Tigers

Projected Starting Lineup

Tony Perkins - Point Guard

Tony Perkins spent the past four years at Iowa but came on strong the past two years as the starting point guard. Perkins does a great job of getting his teammates involved, he averaged 4.6 assists last season a number that would have easily led Mizzou last season. His experience running a fast-paced offense at Iowa should translate well at Missouri and should help the Tigers get back to the high-scoring offense from two seasons ago. 

Perkins is a solid facilitator but can do a little bit of everything. He rounded into a decent scorer the past two seasons and averaged 14.0 points last year. He’s willing to take shots from the perimeter but excels at getting to the basket. At 6’4 Perkins has great size for a point guard, and he likes to use that size to bruise his way to the basket in transition. Perkins shows upside on the defensive end, but it doesn’t always show up in the box score. Overall he should help keep the offense running smoothly.

Marques Warrick - Shooting Guard

Since joining the college ranks Marques Warrick has been a high-volume scorer. He hasn’t averaged less than 15.8 points per game in his career, but what stands out is the fact that in the 125 games Warrick has played he has only scored fewer than ten points in 20 of those games.  

Warrick should provide some stability to Missouri’s offense with his ability to score from anywhere on the court. He helps fix one aspect of the Tiger's offense that hurt them the most last season,  three-point shooting. Warrick has made more than 275 threes in his career, nearly 100 more than the next closest player on the roster. Of the transfers added this offseason, Warrick is positioned to have the largest impact on the offensive end of the court. His scoring average might take a slight hit for the first time in his career since he won’t be his team's only source of offense, but Warrick will have plenty of opportunities to light up the box score. 

Tamar Bates - Small Forward 

Tamar Bates is the lone returning starter from last season, and will once again be one of the leaders for Missouri. After a slow start to last season, Bates really hit his stride once he joined the starting line-up and quickly became one of the most consistent scorers for the Tigers. He started the final 25 games of the season averaging more than 15 points per game over that stretch. Bates scored in double figures in 22 of his starts with a season high of 36 points against Florida. 

Bates is a solid scorer from all over the court but thrived in the mid-range making over 54 percent of his shots inside the three-point arc. His efficiency numbers started to waiver down the stretch with more of the offense placed on his shoulders since Mizzou didn’t have many players capable of creating shots. This season Bates should once again be one of the top scorers for Missouri, only with multiple consistent scorers on the roster to complement his game. 

Mark Mitchell - Power Forward

Mark Mitchell spent the past two years at Duke, starting all but one game over that time. He is a solid scorer close to the rim but starts to be a little less reliable away from the basket. Mitchell will absolutely have a positive offensive impact for the Tigers around the rim. He finishes well at the basket, making 59 percent of his shots inside the three-point arc, and rebounds well on the offensive end, averaging 2.2 per game.

Mitchell’s biggest impact at Mizzou will be on the defensive end of the court. He is quick and physical and can cover a ton of space. He guards just about every position which should be hugely beneficial for a Missouri team that switches everything on defense. He doesn’t block very many shots or get a ton of steals, but Mitchell is a disrupter on the defensive end which Mizzou desperately needs. His abilities on both ends of the court, along with his experience playing in big games should earn Mitchell a ton of minutes this season. 

Josh Gray - Center

During the Gates era, Missouri has been forced to play smaller lineups due to a lack of size on the interior. In Josh Gray, Mizzou found some legitimate size that it had been missing the past few seasons. At 6’11 and 255 pounds Gray is big and strong enough to be a true force at the rim, which will be helpful for the Tigers on the offensive glass. Gray averaged nearly three a game two seasons ago. Gray might not have the biggest impact on the offensive end, but he adds another skill to the offense as a post-up threat. 

Much like Mark Mitchell, Gray should have his biggest impact on the defensive end of the court. There aren’t many players in college basketball as big and strong as Gray, so his presence in the paint should deter opponents from trying to get to the rim. Gray is good for nearly one block per game, but his ability to alter shots and grab rebounds should undoubtedly improve Missouri on the defensive end of the court.