Mizzou men’s basketball will be entering next season with another familiar face. According to a post from On3 on X, redshirt freshman Trent Burns will be staying in Columbia as he enters his second season of eligibility.
Burns, a 7-foot-5 center, struggled to find the floor during his freshman year due to a lingering foot injury. After taking a redshirt season and undergoing foot surgery before the start of this season, Burns was finally able to touch the floor.
Down the stretch, he became the Tigers’ first big man off the bench behind senior Shawn Phillips Jr. Burns played over ten minutes in all but one of the final seven games of the season. Though he only averaged 2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, he showed his defensive prowess.
The retention of Burns provides Mizzou coach Dennis Gates with some stability in the backcourt entering the 2026-27 season. With the graduation of Phillips, Mizzou will still look to add greater depth at the center position.
The only other center currently on the roster is rising sophomore Nicholas Randall. He appeared in an impressive 22 games his freshman season, but he averaged only 5.5 minutes per game.
Burns joins rising senior Trent Pierce as Mizzou’s definite returners. The Tigers already know of two guards who announced their intention to depart: Anthony Robinson II and Sebastian Mack. With the portal opening on Tuesday, Gates will begin reconstructing a roster that can complement his incoming freshman class.