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COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� Practices have looked different, looked like the difference, for the Missouri men鈥檚 basketball team lately.

The most obvious thing about the 2025-26 Tigers, when walking into a gym with them, is the continuity 鈥� the lack of differentiation from last season. Power forward Mark Mitchell and point guard Anthony Robinson II are back as the stars. They鈥檝e got returners like wings Trent Pierce and Jacob Crews around them. For all the turnover and movement of modern college sports, there are a lot of familiar faces within Mizzou Arena.

Then they start practicing, and it looks less familiar.

鈥淣ow, passes are being missed just a little bit, not (getting to players) in shooting pockets,鈥� Kyle Smithpeters, the team鈥檚 top assistant coach, said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e seeing rebounds being secured a lot better. It has a lot to do with length.鈥�

There鈥檚 a new 鈥� at least under fourth-year coach Dennis Gates 鈥� kind of height on this MU roster. Nine of his 14 players are listed at 6-foot-6 or taller. Six stand 6-foot-9 or taller.

So when Gates was asked Monday what he likes most about his preseason looks at the Tigers, he started with what鈥檚 been obvious in practice.

鈥淲ell, we have great size,鈥� Gates said.

After two efficient shooting guards in Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill concluded their careers, Missouri went bigger in its acquisitions to complement some of the length it already had on the roster.

Shawn Phillips Jr., a 7-footer who started his career at Louisiana State before spending time at Arizona State, is the kind of bona fide, productive big man this program has been craving.

Jevon Porter, a 6-foot-11 stretch forward, rebounded well and shot the triple effectively in the West Coast Conference. Luke Northweather, a transfer from Oklahoma, is another 6-foot-11 option.

Pierce, at 6-foot-10, has worked on improving his defense to become more of a factor inside. Trent Burns, a 7-foot-5 鈥渦nicorn,鈥� as the coaching staff has dubbed him, will miss the first month or so of the season after a foot procedure but will make his debut at some point in nonconference play.

Factor in Mitchell (6-foot-9) and Crews (6-foot-8), and the Tigers have plenty of ways to get size on the floor. It won鈥檛 just be one or two of them out there at a time, either.

Mizzou seems geared toward playing bigger lineups than it has previously under Gates.

鈥淣o team is the same, but just the size and length, having Shawn, having Jevon and those guys, it鈥檚 a little bit different,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still trying to learn how to play together, just with the bigger lines and things like that, but I think it鈥檚 going to be really good.鈥�

The tangible change, at least in practice, has been in the improved defense Smithpeters alluded to. Passes, jumpers and finishes at the rim have all run into less space for travel and operation than before.

On defense, that would seemingly be an upgrade for a team that finished ninth in the SEC in defensive rating during league play 鈥� average, by conference standards, with paths for improvement: Mizzou gave up the fourth-most points in the paint per game to SEC opponents.

鈥淚t just gives you room for error,鈥� Smithpeters said. 鈥淵ou have length, you have size, it allows you to cover up mistakes, take away some blemishes. We鈥檝e not had, I would say, a rim protector and/or that length across the board like we have. We鈥檝e seen it on the daily in practice with our guys.鈥�

It won鈥檛 be until January that the Tigers get a look at how their newfound size stacks up against the rest of a conference still expected to be college basketball鈥檚 toughest. Even so, there鈥檚 optimism within MU about how the added length has already boosted the quality of preseason practices.

鈥淚t鈥檚 giving an everyday look at what the SEC looks like,鈥� Smithpeters said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 allowing us to really push ourselves forward from a progress standpoint because it鈥檚 more game-like than any other practice we鈥檝e had in the last three years.鈥�

Tigers picked to finish seventh in SEC

Missouri, heading into its fourth season with Gates at the helm, seems to have secured some respect around the SEC. The Tigers were picked to finish seventh in the conference in the 2025-26 preseason poll.

That鈥檚 the highest Mizzou has been ranked in the preseason under Gates. Last year, MU was picked 13th, only to finish seventh and make the NCAA Tournament.

Mitchell, who averaged 13.9 points and 4.7 rebounds while playing 27.8 minutes per game last season, was named to the preseason All-SEC second team. He鈥檚 Gates鈥� first preseason all-conference selection at Missouri.

Robinson, the point guard whom Gates has touted as the SEC鈥檚 best defensive player, was left off of the three preseason all-league teams.

Mizzou women鈥檚 basketball, entering its first season under coach Kellie Harper, was picked to finish 13th in the SEC.

Both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball programs will head to Birmingham, Alabama, for their SEC media days appearances Wednesday afternoon.