WICHITA, Kan. – The Missouri Tigers, coming off a challenging few weeks, are hopeful to rediscover their top form that fueled one of college basketball’s best turnarounds this season as they officially open their 2025 NCAA March Madness run.

Mizzou (a 6-seed) will take on the Drake Bulldogs (an 11-seed) in their highly-anticipated first-round matchup Thursday evening.

How To Watch

Matchup: Mizzou (6) vs. Drake (11) – West Region

  • Scheduled game time: 6:35 p.m. CT (Thursday, March 20)
  • TV Channel: truTV
  • Streaming: NCAA March Madness Live (website or app), Sling TV or YouTube TV
  • Venue: INTRUST Bank Arena (Wichita, Kansas)
  • Tickets: Starting at $74 before fees via Ticketmaster.

What To Know

After a winless conference record last season (eight wins total), Mizzou enjoyed one of college basketball’s best bounceback seasons. The 2024-25 campaign saw the Tigers secure three victories over top-five ranked teams and nearly triple last year’s win count (22) in their third season under head coach Dennis Gates.

However, Mizzou stumbled near the end of the regular season, dropping its last five games to close the regular season and falling in the second round of the SEC Conference Championship against the eventual champion Florida Gators. The Tigers once climbed to 14th in AP’s college basketball rankings, though they finished just outside the Top 25, leading to a tournament six-seed.

Leading the way for Mizzou are upperclassmen guards Mark Mitchell and Tamar Bates, along with graduate Caleb Grill, each averaging more than 13 points a game. Anthony Robinson is expected to play a key role in the passing game, while Mitchell is also one of the team’s top rebounders. Mitchell was sidelined with a knee injury in the conference tournament, but he appears to be ready for the big dance.

Mizzou’s seed in the NCAA Tournament places them in a favorable position, though one that also comes with upset territory, so cleaning up mistakes and scoring in bunches will be critical to advancing. March Madness No. 6 seeds hold a 95-61 all-time record against No. 11 seeds. And Drake will be stiff competition for the first round, coming off its third consecutive Missouri Valley title.