The Tigers are going to the capital.
Missouri basketball announced Wednesday via its social media accounts that it will face Howard on Nov. 3 on the road in Washington, D.C., to open its 2025-26 campaign. It will mark the second straight season that the Tigers have started their season away from Mizzou Arena.
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Mizzou, coming off a 22-12 season that ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to Drake, will play the second leg of what is likely a home-and-home agreement when it faces Howard in November.
The Tigers beat the Bison 77-62 at Mizzou Arena last season in their second game of the season. MU also opened its 2024-25 campaign on the road, losing at Memphis last Nov. 4.
The trip to Washington will mark the first game of head coach Dennis Gates’ fourth season with the program.
Howard, an HBCU coached by Kenneth Blakeney, finished last season 12-20 with a 7-7 mark in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Interestingly, former Washington Post sportswriter and Missouri School of Journalism graduate Tramel Raggs is on the Bison’s staff as an assistant coach.
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The Bison play their home games at Burr Gymnasium on the Howard University campus.
Updated Mizzou basketball non-conference schedule
It is the fourth confirmed game on Mizzou’s 2025-26 nonconference schedule, although it is just the first with a confirmed date.
Nov 8, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Anthony Robinson II (0) passes the ball as Howard Bison guard Blake Harper (7) defends during the second half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
The Tigers will play neutral-site games against Kansas and Illinois.
The Border War matchup versus KU will take place at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City for the first neutral-site edition of the renewed rivalry. The game has been held on the second weekend of December for each of the past four years.
The Braggin’ Rights matchup against Illinois, as is normally the case, will take place at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. That game has been held on Dec. 22 for each of the past four years, historically falling on the days leading up to Christmas.
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Mizzou also is expected to have a game in the scheduled ACC/SEC Challenge. The Tigers hosted California for the event last season, and it does not appear as if there are any explicit rules stating that a team is guaranteed to alternate between home and road venues.
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At some point, the Tigers are expected to play Minnesota in the return leg of a home-and-home series at Mizzou Arena. Mizzou beat the Golden Gophers in the 2023-24 season on the road, but the return leg was delayed indefinitely. It could appear on Mizzou’s 2025-26 schedule.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri basketball announces 2025-26 season opener is trip to D.C.
