Missouri basketball is finalizing a deal with Marquette to play a neutral-site game on Nov. 15 at the United Center in Chicago, per Jon Rothstein. This will be the tenth total time the two teams have met. No TV designation or time slot has been made for the game.
As of now, this is one of five games confirmed for the 2026 season, three of which are at neutral sites. Missouri will play longtime rival Kansas Jayhawks at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Illinois at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis and now Marquette at the United Center. The Tigers will also host Howard for the final game of a four-season agreement – the first three of which Missouri won convincingly – and will partake in the SEC / ACC challenge, which should be a home game for the Tigers.
The last time the Missouri and Marquette met on the hardwood was in the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, a game the Tigers won as a No. 3 seed in 83-79 fashion. Missouri leads the all-time series 5-4, with the first game being played in 1956.
Marquette, led by Shaka Smart, has been good in recent history. That being said, 2025 was a down season for the Golden Eagles. They finished with a 12-20 record, which was their lowest win total since 1990. They've been a consistent NCAA Tournament team under Smart, but his most recent go-around wasn't as good.
Smart and the Golden Eagles have been notorious for player development and not utilizing the transfer portal, which changed this offseason. Smart added former St. Thomas guard Nolan Minessale and former Louisville center Sananda Fru, both of whom are ranked as top-100 transfers according to 247Sports. Marquette also rosters one Missouri native in the form of Sheek Pearson, who played high school ball at John Burroughs School in St. Louis.
Dennis Gates and the Missouri Tigers have been active in the transfer portal after multiple losses and players running out of eligibility. Gates has added former Tennessee big man Jaylen Carey, Providence wing Jamier Jones and Kansas forward Bryson Tiller.
The Tigers are also adding one of the program's highest-rated recruits in history, five-star guard Jason Crowe Jr. He's accompanied by five-star forward Toni Bryant and four-star sharpshooter Aidan Chronister in a loaded 2026 recruiting class. The Tigers will look to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, and their newly-scheduled game against Marquette will provide a quality test in preparation for it.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/missouri as Mizzou Hoops Finalizing Deal to Play Marquette on Neutral Court, Per Report.