As Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates celebrated his 45th birthday on Tuesday, his squad put a bow on his day, surviving a late scare in an 83-82 win over No. 5 Florida (15-2, 2-2) in Gainesville. The Tigers have now won three consecutive SEC contests, earning their first conference road win since March 1, 2023, at LSU.

Missouri earned its first road win over a top-five team since 2012 on Tuesday as it took down No. 5 Florida 83-82 in a physical slugfest in Gainesville that lasted more than two and a half hours and featured 60 free throws.

After a massive offensive output in the first half, Missouri basketball held off a Florida comeback to stun the top-five-ranked Gators in Gainesville.