Grill scores 22 as Missouri stuns No. 5 Florida 83-82 to end its 16-game home winning streak
Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen pressures Missouri guard Tony Perkins during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Gainesville, Fla. Credit: AP/Alan Youngblood
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Caleb Grill scored 22 points, including two free throws with 5 seconds remaining, and Missouri stunned No. 5 Florida 83-82 on Tuesday night to end the Gators’ 16-game winning streak at home.
Mark Mitchell added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers (14-3, 3-1 Southeastern Conference), who notched their first road win against a top-five team since 2012.
Anthony Robinson II chipped in 12 points for Mizzou, which dominated the first half while building a 19-point lead.
Grill hit four 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes, including three on consecutive possessions, as the Tigers kept pulling away. He also hit a 3 with 2:23 to play — although replays showed his foot was on the line.
Nonetheless, the 24-year-old graduate student missed two free throws a minute later. He redeemed himself with the game on the line.
Florida (15-2, 2-2), which was a 10-point favorite according to BetMGM, showed life in the second half but never got the lead.
Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators with 28 points.
Missouri guard Tony Perkins drives on Florida center Rueben Chinyelu (9) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Gainesville, Fla. Credit: AP/Alan Youngblood
Takeaways
Missouri: Despite a lopsided loss at Auburn, the Tigers should be considered one of the top teams in the SEC after three straight wins.
Florida: The Gators knew this kind of performance was coming. Coach Todd Golden talked all week about how the target was getting bigger with every win.
Key moment
Clayton stepped to the free-throw line for three shots with 2:38 to play and missed the first two. The Gators trailed by five and figured they could count on a career 88% shooter. He let them down.
Key stat
Missouri finished with 15 offensive rebounds, playing with the kind of intensity and physicality in the O’Connell Center that Florida typically delivers.
Missouri guard Tony Perkins (12) drives past Florida forward Alex Condon, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Gainesville, Fla. Credit: AP/Alan Youngblood
Up next
Missouri hosts Arkansas on Saturday. Florida hosts Texas earlier in the day.
