Seems like a good time for a hoops interlude.

While Missouri football is on its second idle week of the season (and after a blowout loss at Alabama), Missouri basketball will get its 2024-25 campaign underway.

Missouri has already hit the court in the 2024-25 season, defeating Division-II Lincoln in an exhibition, 90-45, last Saturday at Mizzou Arena. There are 11 new faces on coach Dennis Gates’ team, including headliner Mark Mitchell, who scored 22 points against Lincoln in his first game, albeit an exhibition, since transferring from Duke.

Here are the key opponents and dates to know on the Missouri basketball schedule this season:

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Can Missouri basketball win opener at Memphis on Monday, break slump?

Missouri basketball is still, technically, in a slump. The Tigers haven’t won a game this calendar year, a stretch that runs 19 games and dates back to the beginning of SEC play in the 2023-24 campaign.

MU will get its first chance to end the slide on Monday, Nov. 4, but it will come in a tricky road environment at Memphis.

Memphis has had a peculiar offseason. Head coach Penny Hardaway fired four staffers less than two months ago, including assistant coach Rick Stansbury. That followed the school announcing it had received an anonymous letter alleging multiple major NCAA violations committed by the school in recent years.

Nevertheless, Memphis shapes up to be a contender the AAC title and for an NCAA Tournament berth with a seven-player transfer portal class that 247Sports ranks as the 11th best in the country.

When is Missouri’s home opener?

When Mizzou gets back from Memphis, Gates’ team is at home for the long haul.

Missouri is set to play its first Mizzou Arena game on Friday, Nov. 8, against Howard, which will give most MU fans their first chance to see the new-look team in person. The game also begins a run of 10 straight games on MU’s home court.

The MU athletic department is offering a promotion of four tickets for $24 for the home opener. Tickets also can be purchased for the game against Howard on SeatGeek, with prices starting at $6.

Purchase tickets for Missouri basketball's home opener here

Early tips for Border War (Dec. 8), Braggin’ Rights (Dec. 22)

Border War and Braggin’ Rights are back on the calendar this season, but both will have a tipoff time that departs from recent tradition.

Both MU’s home game against Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 8 and its neutral-site contest against Illinois on Sunday, Dec. 22 in St. Louis will begin at noon.

In the past few seasons, Border War has tipped off in the early evening and Braggin’ Rights has been a night contest. Not this year, as the Tigers are getting their rivalry games in early.

When does Missouri’s SEC slate campaign begin?

If Missouri wants to make the NCAA Tournament (provided it does not lose more than four games in its nonconference slate), it probably needs to finish the year at or near .500 in SEC play. That’s not a guaranteed marker, but a good baseline for consideration.

Mizzou’s SEC campaign begins Saturday, Jan. 4 on the road against Auburn, which enters the season as one of the favorites to win the conference.

MU’s first home game against SEC opposition is Tuesday, Jan. 7 against LSU.

When do preseason All-Americans come to town?

Want to see the best of the best in Columbia?

Here are the dates that some preseason All-Americans are set to play at Mizzou Arena:

• Feb. 19, Mark Sears, Alabama: Sears is pretty widely being touted as a frontrunner for player of the year honors, and for good reason. He was a 50.8% shooter during Alabama’s Final Four run and decided to run it back at ’Bama instead of entering the NBA Draft.

• Dec. 8, Hunter Dickinson, Kansas: The KU big man is a widely picked first-team All-American after being named a second-team honoree after last season. The 7-foot-2 Dickinson will get, we’re sure, a warm Border War reception for his first game in CoMo.

• Feb. 8, Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M: Taylor is a second-team All-American of ESPN’s Jay Bilas’ list. He is among the best returning point guards in the country, averaging 19.1 points and 4.0 assists per game last season.

• Jan. 18, Johnell Davis, Arkansas: Davis transferred to Arkansas from Florida Atlantic to join new coach John Calipari’s first Hogs team this offseason. He was a unanimous all-AAC selection, and is now a third-team preseason All-American, according to CBS Sports.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Key games to know on Missouri basketball’s 2024-25 season schedule