
A comprehensive guide to what’s in store for you with this year’s Mizzou SEC Network takeover
It’s time! The SEC’s annual airing of Southeastern Conference team takeovers is here, and it’s the Tigers’ time to show off their best moments starting Sunday, July 6 at 11pm, and running through Monday, July 7 at 11pm. Who’s ready to sit on their couch for 24 hours, delighting in the year that was Mizzou Athletics?!
To prepare for you for the best 24-hour period of the summer, I’m outlining each of the events on the schedule in order, why you SHOULD tune in, and sharing snippets (with links, of course) of what our fine folks at Rock M Nation said about it.
Perfect way to cap off your Fourth of July weekend
Relive some of the Tigers’ best moments of the year on @SECNetwork from Sunday, July 6 at 11 p.m. CT to Monday, July 7 at 11 p.m.‼️ #MIZ // #WillToWin pic.twitter.com/yhoqu0W5S4
— Mizzou Athletics (@MizzouAthletics) July 2, 2025
Volleyball vs. SMU in NCAA Tourney Second Round
Airing: Sunday, July 6 at 11pm
- Why you should watch: To relive the Tigers’ thrilling four set 3-1 victory over 2-seed Southern Methodist in Dallas on December 5. The victory advanced Missouri to its fifth NCAA Sweet 16 in school history, and first under AVCA Regional Coach of the Year, Dawn Sullivan. Watch Jordan Iliff break the single season aces record.
See you in the Second Round, Friday!! #MIZ | @NCAAVolleyball pic.twitter.com/T6lbOh9Ueu
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) December 6, 2024
- What we said: The Tigers took set one after a 3-1 run to take the opening frame 25-22 despite a dozen errors (6 attack, 6 service) and being outhit by the Mustangs, per Matthew’s comprehensive recap, The Tigers were dominant in set two, cutting down on the errors and taking a dominant 25-14 to the third set. A normally awesome third set team fell 33-31 in a very long and well-fought battle before heading to set four, where SMU started strong, but the Tigers worked its way back into it, and Jordan Iliff’s 16th kill of the night clinched the 25-22 win and a spot in the Sweet 16.
For the second straight season, this team has set a goal few thought was possible at the beginning of the year and reached it. The Tigers didn’t just take down one of the top eight overall seeds, but did so in fairly dominant fashion.
“No matter what the score is, how down we are, how up we are, we just put on the gas always,” Mychael Vernon said, “and the drive that we have, we play for each other, and it’s just so fun to play on the court together.”
Women’s Hoops vs. Mississippi State
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 1am
- Why you should watch: For Grace Slaughter’s buzzer beater and 31 points. To see the Tigers snap their 18-game SEC losing streak. In a forgettable season, this was a wonderful moment, especially considering the Tigers led for just 5:36.
GRACE SLAUGHTER
TIGERS WIN!! pic.twitter.com/MwsUpKDFCl
— Mizzou Women’s Basketball (@MizzouWBB) January 28, 2025
- What we said: Dylan painted a perfect picture of the final moments in his recap, and Cal captured the ensuing Tiger pile on with perfection. The Bulldogs were ahead and had the ball with 26 seconds remaining when they called a timeout to put the ball in the hands of 40-oint scorer Jerkaila Jordan.
Defender Laniah Randle stepped up to the task. She pressured close, forcing Jordan right before slapping the ball away to give Mizzou one final chance with eight seconds left.
Mizzou had one timeout to spare. Instead of calling it, the Tigers ran one simple design; get the ball to Grace Slaughter. The sophomore standout dribbled up the court, backed down her defender, taking a tough fadeaway as the clock hit zero. With the buzzer in the background, the ball danced off the rim before finally rattling home.

(Cal Tobias/Rock M)
Men’s Hoops vs. kansas
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 3am
- Why you should watch: It’s Mizzou and kansas, for God’s sakes. I mean, why would you NOT watch?! Oh wait, that’s because they put this beautiful game on at 3am when most people are sleeping. Relive Kansas City, KS native Tamar Bates’ 29-point performance. See the Tigers win their first Border War since February 4, 2012, and their first win over an AP no. 1 team since 1997 (also kU).
- What we said: Quentin captured it beautifully in his recap, expertly weaving in history with the importance of a win like this to the program and to its fans.
What took place at Mizzou Arena on Sunday was definitely not a normal game, mostly because there were civilians littered all over the court by game’s end.
Over the course of a few hours, a group of men in black and gold made a town proud. They put a team honoring its history (crunch-time buckets against Kansas donning uniforms with the Block M on it) back on a national stage. Like 1990, 1994 and 2012, Mizzou won a war that will be talked about fondly throughout town for years to come.
After the game, Tamar Bates embraced Caleb Grill, who’d been sidelined since he injured his neck against Lindenwood on Nov. 27. Bates grabbed the fallen soldier and shouted, “I did that for you! I did that for you, boy!”
Sam wrote in his Study Hall: I know this is a statistical analysis post. I’m a fan of analytics, quite obviously. But I don’t watch sports, and in particular, basketball, because of the numbers. I love this game. Numbers can tell part of the story, but they don’t account for Tamar Bates, Mark Mitchell, and Aidan Shaw being KCK kids facing off against their actual home state school. They don’t account for 15,000 people screaming their heads off when a skinny kid from Florida tips a pass into the air and ends up hanging on the rim after finishing a dunk. There’s no statistic for watching Dennis Gates call a timeout so Kansas players could exit safely knowing the court was about to be stormed.

Gymnastics vs. Auburn
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 5am
- Why you should watch: In the March 9 home finale, the Tigers eclipsed the 198 mark for the first time in school history and became just the fifth school of the season to achieve the mark. Watch for the high scores — so many high scores! Watch for the dazzling tumbling passes in their final Hearnes routines! It was magnificent.
Sealed the deal #MIZ pic.twitter.com/NEakDOP8DN
— Mizzou Gymnastics (@MizzouGym) March 11, 2025
- What we said: As I wrote in my recap, the bars rotation was the second highest in school history and featured three career highs from Kyra Burns, Jocelyn Moore (tied her soph yr career high) and Olivia Kelly and no scores lower than 9.85. Beam earned another season high and the Tigers needed just a 49.450 — so low for this floor team — to secure a program high score, and they got it done, with three 9.925 scores from Hannah (season-high), Rayna (career-high) and Kennedy, a 9.95 from Joci in her final Hearnes performance, and a career high-tying 9.975 from Amari in her final Hearnes performance.
When talking to Shannon about this post-meet, he seemed in awe of just everything around him. “When one of the last couple of floor routines was going and I was thinking to 10 years ago, 12 years ago, when I started here, and I was like, boy, we had about 100 people in this building, and we weren’t doing so hot. And so to be able to have that type of performance in front of this crowd at the level, it’s super special, and this is clearly the most impactful class we’ve ever had at the University of Missouri.”

Softball vs. Texas A&M
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 6:30am
- Why you should watch: Listen, it was pretty bad year for Mizzou Softball, who missed the NCAA Tourney for the first time since 2006. But, on the bright side, the Tigers did take down not one, but two no. 1 teams, including Texas A&M, who they beat 9-1 in five innings on April 18 to cement themselves as “giant killers.”
That’s a run-rule win over No. 1 Texas A&M!!
#OwnIt #MIZ pic.twitter.com/2prSm1wykT— Mizzou Softball (@MizzouSoftball) April 18, 2025
- What we said: I was covering gymnastics postseason so I sent our jack-of-all-trades writer, Matthew, to Mizzou Softball Stadium to cover the game, and he saw a great one, full of offense. The Tigers smacked four home runs, with Julia Crenshaw (solo, 1st inning), Kara Daly (3-run, 1st inning), Madison Walker (solo, 3rd inning), and Kayley Lenger (2-run, 5th inning) all getting on board.
In a season of rarely seen lows, Larissa Anderson’s squad has also had its fair share of highs. Those prestigious wins are what have kept the team in the postseason conversation, though the team needs to finish the year with a .500 winning percentage to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Mizzou will surely hope this win provides the spark needed for a late season charge to avoid missing the tournament for the first time since 2006.
“We’re not going to back down for anybody,” Daly said. “We’re going to keep calling and getting those wins in.”

(Cal Tobias/Rock M)
Football vs. Oklahoma
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 8:30am
- Why you should watch: Because it’s Mizzou and Oklahoma, a classic rivalry game against an old Big 8 opponent. See what a fully actualized Drew Pyne can be with Brady Cook unavailable.
Roll the rivalry highlights #MIZ pic.twitter.com/6SFcGTVuew
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) November 10, 2024
- What we said: We had so much coverage on this one, so I’ll take a little from everyone.
From Nate’s takeaways: But a funny thing happens when your backup quarterback starts playing like the 4-star recruit he was supposed to be: stuff works. I don’t know if it’s going to work against the rest of the teams on the schedule, or if Drew Pyne will even be needed after this week. But the defense kept this team in the game long enough for the offense to wake up and, with a little luck, this team pulled off a victory over Oklahoma. It was wild. I still can’t believe it happened. But Missouri is 7-2 and ready to prepare its last three games with momentum and confidence… I still can’t believe what I just saw.
Josh’s Pourover: The first 30 minutes felt more like an AI-generated animation than a college football game, and that speaks to the quality of both offenses… the defenses are absolved in this matter. Wild misthrows. Turnovers. Unblocked pass rushers. It was a comedy of errors, and Mizzou was on the losing side.
Then, for whatever reason, the Tigers decided to find themselves in the second half. And the football gods decided to bless us with a bit of chaos. As a treat. Drew Pyne, who threw for 26 yards in the first two quarters (god, that felt wrong to type) pulled a Kuzco and found his groove to the tune of 117 yards and three touchdowns, including a beautifully placed fade. Theo Wease, Jr., an afterthought for much of his second season in black-and-gold, logged some key chunk plays and one of the great touchdown catches in Tiger history… against his old team, no less!
Dan wrote about the Tigers’ outstanding locker room culture: They showed that again on Saturday under the lights, earning a win delivered by culture. Sure, there were actual, tangible football reasons, like a passing game that sprung to life, a defensive line that dominated, and some good ol’ fashioned bounce-of-the-pointy-ball luck, too. But those lucky bounces would not have helped a team packing it in, and the second-half breakthrough in the passing game would not have been possible without world-class togetherness, toughness, and resiliency.
From Quentin’s recap: Saturday marked the first time over the past 20 seasons that a game between two SEC teams featured four touchdowns in the final 3:30 of regulation, and Mizzou came out on top of the chaos 30-23.
The dagger proved to be the most epic 17-yard run of Zion Young’s life. With under 30 seconds remaining in regulation and the game tied at 23, OU quarterback Jackson Arnold was sacked by linebacker Triston Newson, and the ball popped free. Young picked up the loose pigskin, and his march to the end zone was flanked by a black-clad Faurot Field crowd that thought it’d witnessed the funeral of Mizzou’s College Football Playoff hopes.
Instead, it lost its collective mind, and MU ultimately emerged victorious.

Missouri defenders mob Missouri defensive end Zion Young (9) after he recovered a fumble for a game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Faurot Field in Columbia. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
Men’s Hoops vs. Alabama
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 11:30am
- Why you should watch: The weather outside on February 25 was frightful (it kept this writer home), but the basketball inside Mizzou Arena was delightful as the Tigers knocked off no. 4 Alabama, 110-98.
Another look https://t.co/UdrQBbjft0 pic.twitter.com/kCOc6worCi
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) February 20, 2025
- What we said: As Quentin wrote in his recap, the Tide had no answer for Mark Mitchell, who scored a career-high 31 points, surpassing the high mark of 23 he’d set just the week before against OU, and Caleb Grill scored 25, not solely on threes, but mainly on two-pointers and free throws, to go with ten rebounds.
The clash proved to be a track meet, one which saw the Crimson Tide catch up after the Tigers had held a comfy lead for most of the way. Even as Mizzou kept scoring, Alabama kept responding. But MU was able to seal the deal late, staving off the comeback and sending the home crowd home happy, even if they weren’t able to pour onto the hardwood like they did against Kansas.
Sam reminded us in Study Hall that playing Alabama is stressful, and a lot of teams crack because it’s really, really hard to keep up with their offensive pace over a full 40.
In a game of 80 possessions where Alabama shot 42% from deep and over 60% inside the arc, they never were closer than 6 points and the Tigers led from wire to wire. Nate Oats has now coached at Alabama now for 197 games. When they shoot 40% or better from three and 50% or better from two, they are 41-3 with an average margin of victory north of 23 points. If you add in the Tide scoring 90 points or more, that record climbs to 31-1.
Nobody has been able to beat Alabama when they shoot north of 40% on threes, 50% on twos, and score 90 points or more… Nobody until Wednesday night.

Sam Simon for Rock M
Volleyball vs. Texas
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 1:30pm
- Why you should watch: Because it was a five set thriller and had tremendous storylines, including a homecoming of sorts of former Longhorn Marina Crownover, who recorded 51 assists, 10 digs and 6 kills (.857). See the Tigers defeat a top-10 opponent and two-time defending national champion for the first time since 2016.
Delivered on the Biggest of Stages
Texas #MIZ pic.twitter.com/sNK2f8YRr9
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) November 4, 2024
- What we said: It all came down to the fifth set, which Mizzou thrived in this season, holding a 3-1 record, per Matthew’s recap. The Longhorns took an early 5-4 lead, but it would be the last lead of the night for Texas, who lost on an attack error.
But the story of this match is Marina Crownover, Mizzou’s starting setter, who is an Austin native and transferred in from Texas this offseason. She recorded 51 assists and 10 digs for a double-double alongside two aces and two blocks.
The stat which sticks out for Crownover, though, is kills. She finished with six kills, a career high, hitting .857 on her seven attempts.
I interviewed her yesterday and asked her what it would mean to beat her former team. She said, “It would mean everything,” and it’s clear she left everything on the court tonight. “I’ve already been texting my old teammates from Texas, being like, ‘Oh, you better watch out, I’m coming,’” she said Thursday. “‘You’re about to lose, you’re about to take a loss!’”
Men’s Hoops at Florida
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 3:30pm
- Why you should watch: It’s not often you can say you beat the eventual National Champion on the road, but that’s what happened on January 14 in The Swamp. This game was also the first time AP top-five opponent that Missouri had beaten since January 2012 against no. 3 Baylor.
☠️#MIZ pic.twitter.com/0scFrNzWUV
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) January 15, 2025
- What we said: Quentin wrote in his recap that the first half was all Tigers, as “Caleb Grill cooked the Gators like southern barbecue.” He shot 4/5 from the three, including three makes within 45 seconds of game action. He’d finish 6/10 from beyond the arc in the game. At the half, Mizzou led 50-34, but Todd Golden & Co. came roaring (chomping?) back in the second half as the Tigers went cold and with under eight minutes left, Florida had cut the lead to two.
The Gators proceeded to go on an 8-0 run. But Mizzou didn’t fold; instead, it held strong. Despite more whistles and struggles from the free throw line, the Gators could never pull ahead. Mark Mitchell, who shot just over 60% from the free throw line entering Thursday, made two massive free throws to put Mizzou up by four with 12.4 seconds left; after a layup by Alex Condon, Grill hit two more free throws to seal the victory, avenging two previous misses.
Gymnastics vs. Oklahoma, Florida, Alabama in National Semis
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 5:30pm
- Why you should watch: Because nobody outside of the fanbase seemed to think they could do it. Because Mizzou takes down Florida. Because for the second time this postseason, it came down to Helen Hu and she got it done. And, of course, because this is the meet where Mizzou advances to its first Four on the Floor in program history.
M-I-Z‼️@MizzouGym is heading to its first national championship in program history pic.twitter.com/xtZqhbcn83
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 17, 2025
- What we said: I wrote in my recap how much I hate starting on Floor, as they get low-balled every single time it happens, so they had to come from behind right from the start, earning not a single 9.90 score, and then followed it up with the event’s second highest vault rotation. With a national finals berth on the line, the Tigers killed it on bars, with Mara taking home third place, and the team scoring a 49.450 which put them ahead of Florida by 0.075 going into the final rotation, beam.
With the Tigers in the lead for the second spot over the slimmest of margins (0.075) despite the commentators not seeming to understand how this could happen, Missouri headed to beam with confidence, and my god, did they KILL IT. This rotation should be talked about for years to come in Mizzou lore… The Helenator earned four judges’ 10s, a 9.95, and an absurd 9.90 to earn a 9.9875 that would ultimately win her the national beam title, award her First Team All-America honors, AND secure the remaining slot to move on to Four on the Floor.
“It takes 23 routines to put Helen in the position that she’s in to really showcase the impressiveness of her gymnastics, right?” Shannon said. “You know, we had to have a lot of right people in right places. And, you know, we had a lot of additions moving into this year, and we had to get all those pieces in place. And obviously Helen was an important person in what we’re doing… But we had to have a lot of other people step up and do those things, but by the time we started the season, and I knew the level of experience and talent and commitment that we had, I really felt like we could get to this point.”

(screen grab from SEC Network video)
Football: All Access Spring Football
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 7:30pm
- Why you should watch: With no spring game this year, I assume this will give you a look into this coming year’s team. Per MU Tigers, this will feature behind the scenes content and exclusive interview.
- What we said: I don’t really know what to say about this, but Matthew covered Spring Football, and wrote about it on numerous occasions, including here on March 1 and again on March 21 when it ended.
Dan said in his musings: So… Quarterback? Do we have one? Do we have two? Do we have a competition or is this Beau Pribula’s job? And if it is, are people gonna keep being weird about Sam Horn every time Beau misses one pass? Actually, maybe keeping the fanbase in the dark for another four months wasn’t such a bad idea.
Football vs. Auburn
Airing: Monday, July 7 at 8pm
- Why you should watch: Because Brady Cook came back from the dead hopped up on magic medicine from MU Health Care to save Homecoming and earn a place in Mizzou Football lore. Because even though it was ugly, they won and that is all that matters. Because often, as Josh wrote in his takeaways, Mizzou has been on the wrong side of this story too many times when a starting QB gets injured. NOT THIS TIME. I mean… just watch this. Eli Drinkwitz famously said in the postgame presser, “For all the criticism that young man takes, 12 sure would die on the field for everybody.”
About last Saturday….¯_(ツ)_/¯#MIZ pic.twitter.com/DlJUSbGXFV
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) October 22, 2024
- What we said: A lot.
Film buff Josh Matejka wrote an all-time Revue after this one, and he was amped up. “Bad” opponent? Don’t care. Flawed performance? Don’t care. A win is a win is a win is a win and I won’t ever apologize for embarrassing Hugh Freeze.
I almost find that [watchability] element secondary to the marvel of whatever it is they [MU Healthcare] shot up into Brady Cook’s bloodstream. It can’t be natural, and it can’t be good for his long-term health. But it allowed him to walk onto Faurot Field after having gone to the gotdang hospital and throw missiles all over Auburn’s shell-shocked secondary. That’s watchable in and of itself, even if the stress it took to get there wasn’t.
In his takeaways, Josh wrote: Things happen in a college football season that you can’t quite explain. Things like, oh I don’t know, Brady Cook struggling with his mid-to-long range accuracy for six games, missing three quarters of the seventh game with an ankle injury, then returning unexpectedly to throw darts all over the field. And even if it’s only a win over 2-5 Auburn, this week’s victory feels different. It feels right. It feels, dare I say it, earned.
Mizzou heads to Alabama next week, and we’ll learn a lot about their capabilities then. But for the first time all year, they’re heading into a week with some positive momentum. It finally feels like they’re awake. Combine that energy with the talent that’s evidently on the roster and the best could be yet to come for a Tiger team that continues to claw its way into the win column.

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook (12) celebrates scoring a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter of a game against Auburn on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at Faurot Field in Columbia.(CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
I asked some of my Rock M colleagues their thoughts, and here’s what they said. Quentin suggested the Music City Bowl and Mizzou v. Arkansas football games, True suggested Softball v. Oklahoma as it ended the Sooners’ massive win streak, and Matthew said Game 1 of the Baseball v. Texas A&M series in which the Tigers scored six runs in the top of the ninth after trailing 6-3. I think the Gym’s Regional Finals performance that took them back to the National Championships for the second time in four years on the back of Helen Hu does it for me. (In fact, I started recapping that one before I realized they’d chosen a different meet, ha!)
So, I have to ask you all, dear readers. What did they miss? What would you like to have seen in the takeover?