A fourth player has been marked as unavailable for Missouri basketball’s game against VMI.
Transfer center Shawn Phillips Jr., a 7-foot big man who joined the team from Arizona State in the offseason, was ruled out of the Tigers’ game against Virginia Military Institute shortly before tipoff Sunday in Columbia. In a social media post, the Tigers said Phillips is absent due to an illness.
Advertisement
The Tigers will tip off against VMI for their third game of the season at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Mizzou Arena. The game will air on SEC Network.
More: Here’s how to watch Missouri basketball vs VMI on Sunday. TV channel, streaming, tipoff time
More: Live score, game updates as Missouri basketball faces VMI at Mizzou Arena on Sunday
The news means Missouri will be without four players, all of whom are expected to be contributors this season, against the Keydets.
Combo forward Trent Pierce, wing Annor Boateng and center Trent Burns, although not officially ruled out of the game, were in tracksuits for warmups, indicating they will not play. All three players are yet to play this season.
Advertisement
Pierce, a 6-foot-10 junior, started 19 games for Mizzou last season, averaging 17.1 minutes on the floor over the course of 33 total games. He took a significant step forward as a sophomore, averaging 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per night.
Boateng was one of the highest-rated recruits in Mizzou history when he joined the Tigers in the Class of 2024. After starting some games early last season, he rarely made the rotation in the back-half of the Tigers’ season.
Both Pierce and Boateng, per a previous team announcement, have lower-body injuries.
ASU center Shawn Phillips Jr. (9) shoots a free throw against Colorado during a game at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Jan. 4, 2025.
Burns has not been cleared from an offseason foot injury that required surgery and is expected to be able to return between mid-November and early December.
Advertisement
Mizzou will start Jefferson City native Luke Northweather at center in Phillips’ absence. Jevon Porter is starting for the third straight game in place of Pierce.
Phillips recorded a double-double in his Missouri debut at Howard on Monday. He has averaged 11.5 points and 8.0 rebounds through two games.
All four unavailable players were on the Norm Stewart Court floor shortly before tipoff.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri basketball will be without 4 players for game against VMI
