No. 15 Mizzou men pushing for top 4 finish in SEC in ranked showdown with No. 4 Alabama
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Now for the stretch run.
No. 15 Missouri men’s basketball, along with the rest of the Southeastern Conference, is entering the final third of league play. At 8-4, the Tigers sit sixth in the conference. They’ve functionally secured their spot in the NCAA Tournament.
So the stretch run, then, is about seeding.
Bracketologists, at the moment, peg Mizzou as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That still remains a rather sketchy science until the calendar turns to March.
Far more concrete is the race for seeding in the SEC Tournament, held March 12-16 in Nashville, Tennessee. The seeds awarded in that bracket will to some degree translate to March Madness, given that the SEC will likely produce two or three of the eventual No. 1 seeds in the national tournament.
The race inside the SEC largely boils down to which programs wind up in the top four — a seven-team battle that raises the stakes for MU’s showdown Wednesday against No. 4 Alabama.
The top four SEC teams at the end of the regular season receive double byes during the tournament, which means they’ll enter the bracket at the quarterfinal stage. Seeds 9-16 play first, with the winners of those games meeting seeds 5-8. Those winners, in turn, get seeds 1-4 in the quarters.
As things stand through two-thirds of league play, seven teams seem to be in the mix for those top four spots. In order of standings, before Tuesday’s games tipped off: No. 1 Auburn (11-1 in the SEC), Alabama (10-2), No. 7 Texas A&M (9-3), No. 2 Florida (9-3), Missouri (8-4), No. 6 Tennessee (8-5) and No. 24 Mississippi (8-5).
By beating the Crimson Tide over the weekend, Auburn has solidified its case as the team most capable of pulling away to finish atop the conference. Alabama’s hold on the No. 2 spot may well slip, with all of its final six games coming against ranked opponents. At a minimum, seeds 3 and 4 are attainable for any of these programs.
That adds a little relish to matchups between teams in the top seven. Those are the kinds of games where the winner gains a game advantage — and head-to-head tiebreaker, which could be significant — over the loser, potentially serving as a key factor in how the SEC standings shake out.
Of these top seven teams, all have at least three games against fellow top seven programs between now and the end of the campaign — except for one: Mizzou.
Remaining schedules for the top seven teams in the SEC. Games against other top-seven teams are in bold and highlighted.
The Tigers host Alabama at 8 p.m. Wednesday, then face a mix of teams from the middle or bottom of the conference to close out the schedule.
What does that mean? The negative is that MU won’t have another chance to directly gain ground on teams to secure one of the top four seeds. Those chances have passed.
The positive might be stronger. While others in the top seven hand each other losses, Missouri will be outside of the fracas, theoretically picking up wins in more favorable matchups. There are enough pitfalls to keep the Tigers from coasting to the finish line — Arkansas is shaping up and will be a tough out on the road; Kentucky is ranked No. 17 — but they’ll be the favorites in most or all remaining games.
That’s a path to 12 or 13 wins, which is probably the bar for a top four seed.
Coach Dennis Gates, however, has set the bar higher.
“Job isn’t done on what we want to do, what we want to accomplish,†he said. “We want to win an SEC Championship. There’s enough games out there for us to possibly do that. The next phase of that is having a double bye, (finishing in spots) 1-4.â€
So the stakes for Wednesday’s late tipoff that will play out in front of a sold-out crowd, barring weather interruptions for fans: the Tigers’ last chance to gain direct ground on a team above them in the race for the double bye.
And speaking of races: The MU-’Bama showdown could be a high-scoring, fast-paced affair. Alabama has the most efficient offense and fastest in the SEC, according to KenPom. At 74.3 possessions per game and only 15.3 seconds of the shot clock drained per possession, the Tide can move at a blistering pace.
CBB Analytics
Mizzou can be a quick and high-octane offense in its own right, but Alabama lies in a tier of its own from a speed standpoint.
“Both teams score, both teams play with pace,†Gates said. “Hopefully the ball falls for us, and I hope it doesn’t fall for them. It’s just that simple.â€
The Crimson Tide are fresh off a loss to Auburn over the weekend that pitted the in-state rivals, ranked No. 1 and 2 at the time, against each other.
Guard Mark Sears has reprised as Alabama’s leading scorer, putting up 17.8 points per game. Bouncy forward Grant Nelson averages 12.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
The Tide’s weakness, offensively, is turnovers: They’re 12th in the SEC, turning the ball over on 17.9% of offensive possessions. In their league loss to Ole Miss, they coughed it up 21 times.
A top-class opponent coming to Mizzou Arena won’t mean all that much has to change for Missouri, which is pushing to be classified in that tier of high-ceiling teams.
“I’m not changing the way we’re playing,†Gates said. “I’m not going to ever do that. We’re going to continue to have our guys play with confidence, play unselfishly, execute the game plan.â€
Important things to know about Mizzou Tigers athletics
Gordo: Tigers still have plenty in reserve as college basketball season grinds on
College basketball teams can find strength in numbers in February, which is a big reason Missouri climbed into the upper tier of the Southeastern Conference.
The physicality of league play grinds down players. Fatigue sets in. Cold and flu season hits full force. Nagging injuries mount.
Teams with impressive depth can gain a big advantage — and Tigers coach Dennis Gates can comfortably extend his playing rotation into double digits these days.
Contrast that to the challenges SLU and Illinois have encountered during the stretch run.
Billikens coach Josh Schertz got zero points in just 12 minutes from his injury-depleted bench Friday in the 78-69 loss at Loyola Chicago. All five starters played 35 minutes or more.
Not surprisingly, the Billikens lacked defensive energy in the game’s closing minutes. Once again, they failed to close out a game strong.
After starting its Atlantic 10 schedule 5-1, SLU has lost five of seven games.
Illini coach Brad Underwood also has been caught short in recent weeks. After starting 4-1 in the Big Ten, Illinois went 5-7 in its next 12 games while guard Kasparas Jakucionis (forearm injury), Tomislav Ivisic (mononucleosis, ankle injury, flu) and Morez Johnson Jr. (broken wrist) missed time.
Jakucionis and Ivisic are back to full strength, but the Fighting Illini fell to Michigan State 79-65 at home Saturday while getting outscored 42-24 in the second half.
Spartans coach Tom Izzo gave six reserves 92 minutes of playing time. Underwood got just 47 minutes from his three substitutes.
While freshman sensation Will Riley scored 13 points in 30 minutes off the bench and Jake Davis had eight points in 14 minutes, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn was scoreless in three minutes, and Tre White didn’t play for the second straight game.
“I’m going to put the best guys out there that fit,†Underwood said. “I’ve had some conversations with Tre. He’s back healthy, which is good. But we’re at the point of the year, we’re going to put guys out there that play well together and help us win.â€
During their disastrous second half, the Illini settled for 3-point jumpers and quit driving to the basket — something Gibbs-Lawhorn did well in earlier games.
“I’ve got to get Dravyn going back again, that’s ultimately on me, and Tre going again,†Underwood said after that loss. “We’ll get those guys going. That’ s my job, to do a better job of getting those guys in.â€
Meanwhile, Mizzou has been exploiting his depth. While all five SLU starters average 30 or more minutes per game — led by guards Gibson Jimerson (37.6) and Isaiah Swope (36.6) — no Missouri player averages more than 27 minutes.
Gates shortened his playing rotation during SEC play, but he still seeks looks for opportunities to spread the workload. He paces some players and challenges others.
Tamar Bates played 34 minutes against Texas A&M, then just 20 against Oklahoma. Mark Mitchell played 31 minutes at Tennessee, then just 20 against Texas A&M.
Tony Perkins played 30 minutes at Tennessee, then 18 against Texas A&M. Trent Pierce played 33 minutes against Ole Miss back in January, then more recently, he played just eight minutes combined against Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
Foul trouble limited Anthony Robinson II to just 22 minutes combined against Mississippi State and Tennessee. Then he played 15, 23 and 25 minutes in his next three games.
Caleb Grill has received consistent usage off the bench, and so has Jacob Crews, albeit with a lesser role. On the other hand, Josh Gray’s minutes off the bench are dictated by matchups.
Missouri’s depth allows Gates to go big with his lineup to gain heft or go with a smaller lineup for more skill.
He will give guard Marques Warrick key minutes here and there when he seeks an offensive spark. He will do the same with freshman forward Marcus Allen when seeking more toughness and rebounding.
When an opposing big man must be leaned on, 7-foot, 300-pound Peyton Marshall can do that.
This load management has paid off. The Tigers keep playing energetic defense and winning 50-50 balls.
They overcame cold shooting in the first half at Georgia by tracking down offensive rebounds and earning extra chances.
“They had 3-point shooters literally get their own rebound,†Florida coach Mike White noted. “You don’t see that much.â€
Individual Tigers have been able to hit their refresh button. Mitchell’s 25 points against Oklahoma came after he played just 24 minutes the game before.
After scoring two points in 20 minutes against the Sooners, Bates had 13 points in 27 highly efficient minutes at Georgia. After scoring two points in 22 minutes over two games, Robinson scored 25 points in 49 minutes in his past two games.
ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ outscored Georgia by 24 points while Robinson was flying around the court Saturday.
The Tigers face massive challenges ahead, with No. 4 Alabama next up Wednesday and a desperate Arkansas team awaiting them Saturday. The SEC tournament is going to be a war, then the Tigers will likely face a difficult path in the NCAA Tournament.
But their bid for a successful postseason should have legs.
A dunk of faith: How last summer’s baptism changed life of Mizzou’s Trent Pierce
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Trent Pierce’s freshman year of college was a baptism by fire.
Missouri’s highest-ranked men’s basketball recruit in six years struggled to find a role on the court. Then, he missed several weeks with an ear infection so severe that he’d find blood on his pillow after sleepless nights. And the Tigers lost 19 games in a row.
Already an introvert by nature, Trent was withdrawing into himself.
It wasn’t just frustration or a 19-year-old’s angst. Trent was profoundly lost.
“Through high school and college,†he said, “I went through a lot of loneliness, a lot of questioning my self-worth.â€
So last summer, at the behest of his head coach and parents — and really, because the former called the latter about this — Trent folded himself into the back row of a van bound for Fort Collins, Colorado, for a weeklong “Ultimate Training Camp†held by an organization called Athletes in Action.
He was in the van with nine other Mizzou athletes, none of whom he really knew. Not that he cared to get to know them at the time, either. He pulled his headphones over his ears and went silent.
Yet just a few weeks later, some of those athletes — along with the entire MU men’s basketball team — attended Trent’s baptism. He left the training camp reawakened, refocused, reshaped and intent on being baptized again.
This time, in water. When the 6-foot-10 forward emerged from the water of Columbia’s Hulen Lake, the change he underwent was symbolic. But it’s tangible, too.
Trent reconnected with his Christian faith, using Biblical teachings to ease the highs and lows of being a modern athlete. He became a friendlier presence inside the MU athletics department and more vocal figure in the Tigers locker room. He now holds down a spot in the basketball team’s starting lineup, too.
Trent and his family opened up to the Post-Dispatch for the first time about the vicissitudes of his freshman year and sense of peace that he has since discovered.
“When you look back,†coach Dennis Gates said, “it’s a completely different person.â€
‘Very quiet, very introverted’
When Trent moved to Columbia last summer to enroll at MU and begin his college basketball career, Gates called his parents with an unconventional request: Could they leave him at school without a car?
One of Gates’ first recruits, Trent arrived from the prestigious AZ Compass prep school. But the lanky kid from Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a smooth jumper for his height was reserved. Too much so, in Gates’ eyes. He wanted Trent to have to ask his teammates for rides, hoping that he’d be more or less forced to talk to them as they drove him around.
Gates also introduced Trent to Nathan Buxman, who runs Mizzou’s Athletes in Action chapter. The group holds weekly meetings and Bible studies, providing a faith-based outlet and support system for the athletes who want it.
Trent wasn’t really among those who wanted it.
“I always found an excuse not to go,†he said. “I was tired, I didn’t have a car, didn’t have a ride, things like that. Throughout my whole freshman year, I basically did not go.â€
Buxman, a well-known figure among MU athletes, got a quick read on Trent: “very quiet, very introverted, very to himself.†He noticed the freshman ate in the dining hall with headphones on.
Trent comes off as a serious person — not overbearing or intense but certainly deliberate in what he says and does. He grew up playing football before focusing on basketball, then one day presented his parents with the idea of going to prep school so he could train with some of the country’s best prospects.
“Here’s the thing about Trent, which I always give him props for,†his dad, Lamar, said. “I think a lot of people underestimate him because Trent doesn’t have the swag right off the top — he just doesn’t have that. But he’s tough.â€
Trent’s freshman year seemed built to test that.
Missouri's Trent Pierce goes up for a shot in a game against Georgia on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga.
Mike Stewart, Associated Press
‘I can’t take it anymore’
Missouri played at Texas A&M on Jan. 23, 2024. At that point in the year, Trent’s role was fluctuating. He’d played 20 minutes in a Braggin’ Rights loss to Illinois, scoring a season-high 12 points. But in the first three SEC games of the season, he was on the floor for 18 total minutes, making 1 of 5 shots.
And against the Aggies, he was in the game for one minute. No shots, no rebounds, no turnovers — nothing.
Trent’s ear was bugging him. It had been infected while he was in high school, the byproduct of an illness, and since had been fine. The discomfort — a gentle word for what he was really feeling inside his skull — had come back.
He called home to Tulsa at 3 a.m. from College Station, unable to sleep because of the throbbing pain rippling outward from his inner ear.
“I can’t take it anymore,†Trent’s mom, Jennette, remembers him saying.
The ear infection was back, and it was bad. Trent couldn’t play for more than a month and couldn’t travel with the team during that time. Doctors were worried that the pressure changes that come with flying could cause more serious damage to his ear.
At its worst, he went a week without sleeping more than 30 minutes at a time. Desperate, he went to an emergency room and finally fell asleep under a blanket of painkillers delivered by IV.
Trent’s ear infection required surgery so doctors could fully clean it out. Including the time it took for post-operation swelling to go down, he couldn’t hear out of one ear for about six weeks. Once he received medical clearance to resume basketball activities, he battled bouts of dizziness and fatigue — that absence was the longest Trent had gone without playing basketball since he began taking the sport seriously.
“I felt behind,†he said, “just a step slow — like three or four steps slow.â€
Trent played in the final five games of the season and scored in only one of them.
He entered the offseason disillusioned and holding an offer from Buxman: Trent was invited to join Mizzou’s Athletes in Action contingent for its trip to Ultimate Training Camp in Colorado.
Gates, who’d gone to the camp when he was a college player at California, encouraged Trent to think about it. John Tonje, another MU player at the time, was going to go.
“I knew the experience that I had but also the confidence that I had when I returned to campus,†Gates said. “I knew it could help him.â€
Trent was unconvinced.
“I still found every excuse not to go,†he said.
Tonje wasn’t going anymore because he entered the transfer portal, so Trent wouldn’t know anybody there. Jennette’s birthday was in the middle of the week of camp, and what kind of son would he be to go away to a retreat during that? The Pierces were traveling to Canada to see her side of the family and celebrate. Trent argued he should be there for that, too. Maybe if he just went for the first few days and then ...
Relaying all of this logic to his coach, he was cut off by Gates: “Trent, I’m not listening to nothing you’re saying. Stay at the camp.â€
Gates called Lamar and Jennette to say, in no uncertain terms, that Trent needed to be in that van.
So he climbed into the back row that had a little more legroom and adopted a reproachful mood toward the other athletes on the trip.
“ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ were trying to play games and stuff, car-ride games,†Trent said. “I said one or two things and then let them do it. I just wasn’t a part of any of it.â€
Missouri's Trent Pierce, center, Jacob Crews, left, and T.O. Barrett celebrate a teammate's dunk in a game against California that MU won 98-93 on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Columbia.
L.G. Patterson, Associated Press
‘Something more stable than this’
Trent wasn’t much of a churchgoer, for many of the same reasons he’d hardly materialized at any Athletes in Action gatherings before the retreat.
“I mean, I’d always been to church, growing up, and liked it,†he said. “I think I always went more for my parents — they always made me go, so I never really went from my desire, I guess.â€
Lamar and Jennette raised their kids as Christians, taking them to church and having them baptized. But they accepted that there could be a time when the kids would, in some way or another, drift away from faith as they built their own lives.
“There comes a moment when you become an adult that at some point, something shifts,†Jennette said. “I’m not necessarily saying it’s a recommitment or something significant like that, but something shifts to where it becomes your faith — your personal faith — as opposed to, well, I just believe what my parents believe.â€
That came for Trent at Ultimate Training Camp. The details of what exactly happens there each summer are kept relatively private. There are some classes and talks for athletes on religious concepts, plus typical retreat activities such as volleyball games. Key to the week is a physical endurance test that lasts for 20 hours.
Buxman noticed Trent’s guard start to evaporate as the days in Colorado went by, particularly in the volleyball games.
“All of a sudden, you start to see him high-fiving people that are on his team,†Buxman said.
On the last night of the camp, with music playing, Trent felt something click. The thought of being baptized again crossed his mind.
“I had this, like, little tightening in my chest,†he said. “It got so tight to where it almost hurt.â€
He dismissed it because he’d been baptized as a kid, thought about it more, then resolved to go through with it — no excuses involved. He told a camp leader about what he was feeling, and a few days later, his parents.
“I felt all this pressure just leave me,†Trent said. “In that moment, I just felt peace.â€
Columbia’s Hulen Lake is encircled by sloping lawns, giving it a secluded feel. The 18-acre body of water sits about 2 miles west from Mizzou Arena as the crow flies. There’s a picnic shelter, four swings, a cozy beach, a small pier and kayaks. A couple hundred feet out from shore, a tiny island holds a few scraggly trees.
At sunset one day last June, Trent was baptized there. He thinks 50 or 60 people were there when he talked aloud and publicly about finding his faith again — “the most people I’ve ever spoken in front of,†he said.
Lamar and Jennette were there, as was the Missouri men’s basketball team: coaches, returning players, new freshmen, incoming transfers.
Players and coaches from the Missouri men's basketball team pose with forward Trent Piece (center, hands crossed) after his baptism ceremony in Columbia.Â
Courtesy Trent Pierce
Being surrounded by — embraced by, really — that many people was something different for Trent. His loneliness and questions of self-worth had left him grappling with what his identity should be, too.
This is the struggle for athletes at the moment. Recruiting services begin ranking and rating them when they’re barely in high school. College offers and, increasingly, name, image and likeness (NIL) deals give them a very clear sense of what they are or aren’t worth. Fans on social media hardly mince words in their commentary.
“We spend most of our time talking identity,†Buxman said. “That’s not the place you want to go for your identity. You quickly realize: ‘I need something more stable than this.’â€
Now, for Trent, that’s where faith comes in.
For example: He grapples with the psychology of being benched, which happened recently after rough starts against Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
So when he goes to the bench, he has a visual cue to keep his thoughts on track: a piece of Scripture Lamar first showed Trent as a kid. Buxman brought it back up to Trent after a recent practice.
Directly across from the Missouri bench inside Mizzou Arena is Section 107. Even with fans filling the black seats, the number is visible on the concrete wall atop the section. That number corresponds, in Trent’s mind, to the seventh verse of the first chapter of the New Testament’s second letter to Timothy — 2 Timothy 1:07.
“For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid,†the verse reads, “but gives us power, love and self-discipline.â€
Trent has it memorized. After talking with the Post-Dispatch for an interview, he asked for the verse to be included with his story.
“I never really, I’d say, put it into my life until it needed to be,†Trent said.
And his life is different now. Coaches praise his newfound resilience and leadership.
“That reinvented who he was and the confidence he had,†Gates said, “not just in himself but in the new environment that he was in. His relationship with his teammates changed.â€
When Lamar and Jennette called Trent recently, he’d picked up food from a restaurant but was heading to the dining hall so he could eat — headphones-free — with some people he knew would be there. Through the phone, they could hear people greeting him.
That’s what has changed for Trent. He understands the world around him to be a lot warmer than a trying freshman year made it seem.
Ask Trent his biggest takeaways from his week in Colorado, and he’ll share these two:
Mizzou basketball coach Dennis Gates speaks with the media on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, about Black head coaches at Southeastern Conference media days in Birmingham, Alabama, (Video courtesy Southeastern Conference)
How to watch Mizzou Tigers basketball vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: TV, live stream, game time
Last week provided a slight break for the Mizzou men's basketball team, but the difficulty is ratcheted up again this week.
On Wednesday, No. 15 Mizzou hosts No. 4 Alabama.
The Tigers beat Oklahoma on Wednesday then prevailed at Georgia on Saturday.
Mizzou is 19-6 overall, 8-4 in the Southeastern Conference.
Alabama is 21-3 overall, 10-2 in the Southeastern Conference after Saturday's 94-85 home loss vs. No. 1 Auburn. That defeat dropped the Tide down two spots from their previous No. 2 ranking.
Before Saturday's defeat, Alabama had won seven straight, its last loss coming Jan. 14.
The Crimson Tide are undefeated on the road in conference play.
Mizzou has lost its last four games vs. Alabama, all by double digits. The Tigers' last win in the series came three years ago.
Here's how to watch Mizzou Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide basketball:
Mizzou Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide TV, live stream and radio
Game time: 8 p.m. CST/ 9 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 19
Location: Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.
TV channel: SEC Network
Live stream:
Radio: KTRS (550 AM and 106.1 FM) in St. Louis, across Missouri and online through the .
Streaming apps: Varsity Network app on the or (free); TuneIn app on the or . (requires subscription)
Mizzou's Anthony Robinson II snaps slump with key performance in win over Georgia
Are the sophomores slumping?
Forgive the same four-word rhetorical question starting off both the preview for and the tale of No. 21 Missouri’s 87-74 win at Georgia. It’s just that the answer has changed.
Mizzou coach Dennis Gates had publicly challenged his two sophomores — point guard Anthony Robinson II and forward Trent Pierce — ahead of the game.
“They’ve got to play better, and they know that,†Gates said.
If slumping is what that duo was entering Saturday’s game, then snapping the slump is what they did in Athens, Georgia.
Robinson tied for the team lead with 15 points. He also added seven assists, five rebounds and four steals — and no turnovers. In the 26 minutes Robinson was on the floor, MU outscored Georgia by 24 points.
Pierce, who had played eight minutes across the Tigers’ last two outings, got 19 minutes of action against the Bulldogs. He scored eight points and, most critically to what Gates wants from the tall wing, secured five boards.
That’s the kind of box score Gates wants in his hands after a game.
In terms of game flow, Robinson in particular was even more impactful.
His playmaking popped but he didn’t do much scoring or stealing in the first half, and the Tigers trailed 41-38 at the break.
Then, after both teams traded a few early blows, Robinson entered the kitchen. He bagged a pull-up jumper with 17:39 left in the game to put Missouri up 48-47, which wound up being the last lead change of the afternoon. He laid in another bucket to feed that sapling of an advantage.
A Robinson assist put Mizzou up by six. A Robinson steal set up the layup that put the Tigers up by eight. A Robinson steal and dunk made the lead 10. Out of a timeout, A Robinson lob to forward Mark Mitchell made it 12. Another Robinson steal and dunk, exactly 60 seconds after the first pairing, nudged the lead to 14. A Robinson 3-pointer put MU up by 17 points.
Everything in that paragraph happened in 2:16 of game time, part of a 15-0 run that allowed the Tigers to blow right by their hosts.
As had been the case so often for Missouri during nonconference play, Robinson was the engine on both ends of the floor.
“Ant Robinson had a big half,†Gates said on the MU radio broadcast after the game. “It was really good to see him step up.â€
Given that foul trouble had been holding Robinson back in the last few weeks, his ability to defend aggressively and freely seemed to loosen up the rest of his game. He fouled out in garbage time but drove a defensive turnaround that saw Georgia drop from a 61% shooting performance in the first half to 45% in the second.
“We listened to coach’s game plan at halftime,†Robinson said. “We went out there and executed. That was a big part of that second half, the defense.â€
Though Gates had limited the sophomores’ playing time as they struggled through the core part of the SEC schedule, he never full-on benched them. Robinson and Pierce remained starters and received chances to make an impact early in games. There was plenty of patience and no panic in Gates’ tone as he talked about their slumps as something necessary to maturing as players.
“We just got to make sure these guys get out of their own way,†Gates said earlier this week. “You got to understand, they’re still young. ... It’s just that sophomore situation that I think they’re in.â€
Keeping them in the starting lineup and main rotation paid off.
Messing with the starting lineup — inadvertently, it would seem — did cost the Tigers at the start of Saturday’s game. The initial starting lineup posted to the game’s internal stats service showed freshman center Peyton Marshall starting in place of Mitchell. Though that would’ve given the young big a chance to play close to his hometown of Atlanta (he did receive a cameo appearance late in the second half), it seemed like sitting down the player fresh off a 25-point outing was too surprising to be true.
Because it wasn’t true. Mizzou intended to use its regular starting lineup, with Mitchell as part of it. But because an incorrect starting five had been submitted, officials called the Tigers for an administrative technical foul before the game began. That meant Georgia shot and made a technical free throw before any time left the clock, leading to the strange sight of a 1-0 score as the game tipped off.
NCAA Tournament bid functionally secured
There won’t be an official announcement or any real celebration, but Missouri functionally secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament by beating Georgia. It was the Tigers’ eighth victory in SEC play, which is the consensus threshold for the league’s teams to make it.
The bar for this Mizzou team, though, is considerably higher. The Tigers might end up as the favorites — or at worst, narrow underdogs — in their final six regular-season games.
And that winnable run of SEC fixtures will not be a race to get past the bubble but instead a push for a top-four seed in the SEC tournament and a similar seed in the NCAA field.
Photos: No. 21 Mizzou men's basketball wins at Georgia
Missouri center Josh Gray (33) shoots against against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Mark Mitchell (25) dunks the ball against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Trent Pierce (11) shoots against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Former NBA and Georgia basketball player Litterial Green waves to fans after a ceremony during the first half of an NCAA basketball game between Georgia and Missouri, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) steals the ball from Georgia guard De'Shayne Montgomery (2) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia guard Dakota Leffew (1) and Missouri guard Marcus Allen (4) vie for a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia head coach Mike White speaks with an official at a break in play during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Caleb Grill (31) vies for a loose ball against Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri center Josh Gray (33) vies for a loose ball against Georgia guard De'Shayne Montgomery (2) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Tamar Bates (2) shoots against Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart watch play between Georgia and Missouri during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri coach Dennis Gates watches play against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia head coach Mike White watches play against Missouri during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri center Josh Gray (33) shoots against Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Mark Mitchell (25) shoots against Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) drives against Georgia guard Dakota Leffew (1) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia guard Silas Demary Jr. (5) holds on to the ball against Missouri guard Tony Perkins (12) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) celebrates his shot against Missouri during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) shoots against Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Jacob Crews (35) looses the ball against Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward Justin Abson (25) drives against Missouri guard Jacob Crews (35) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) drives against Missouri guard Tony Perkins (12) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) shoots against Missouri guard Jacob Crews (35) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) runs into Georgia guard De'Shayne Montgomery (2) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Caleb Grill (31) shoots from the line against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) works against Georgia guard Blue Cain (0) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Caleb Grill (31) shoots against Georgia during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia guard Blue Cain (0) moves against Missouri guard Jacob Crews (35) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Tamar Bates (2) runs against Georgia during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) runs against Missouri during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
In today’s 10 a.m. “Ten Hochman†sports video — brought to you by — Ben Hochman discusses Lars Nooooooootbaar and the possibility of him in CF! Also, a happy birthday shoutout to Rob Thomas! And as always, Hochman picks a random St. Louis Cards card!
No. 21 Mizzou men's hoops team overpowers Georgia with key 2nd-half run
Four players scored in double digits, strong perimeter defense traveled effectively and No. 21 ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ overpowered Georgia behind a dominant second half on Saturday afternoon in a basketball game in Athens, Ga.
The Tigers (19-6, 8-4 Southeastern Conference) beat the Bulldogs (16-10, 4-9) 87-74Â to functionally lock in their spot in the NCAA Tournament. And in doing so, Mizzou pushed Georgia to the periphery of the tournament bubble.Â
MU point guard Anthony Robinson II busted his recent slump with 15Â points, seven assists and five rebounds. He fouled out during garbage time but was the best player on the floor for a key part of the second half in which MU assembled a 15-0 run.
Guard Caleb Grill (15 points), guard Tamar Bates (13) and forward Mark Mitchell (14) joined Robinson as double-digit scorers.
The Bulldogs were led by freshman forward Asa Newell, who scored 23 points on an efficient 11-15 shooting performance.
Mizzou trailed 41-38 after a first half in which the Bulldogs leaned into post scoring while the Tigers won the offensive glass. Neither team led by more than six or scored more than seven straight points in a competitive opening half.
Georgia shot 61% from the field to MU's 36% field-goal percentage at the break, but the visitors' rebounding kept things close.Â
The Tigers' offense evened out with a 7-7 start to the second half from the field, including a statement dunk from guard Tamar Bates, that gave them a 55-47 lead — their biggest advantage of the day to that point.Â
That grew to as much as 19 behind Missouri's big second-half run.
Takeaways
The game tipped off in very odd fashion With Georgia leading 1-0 after shooting a technical free throw before tipoff. Mizzou had been called for an administrative technical foul before the game because it submitted an incorrect starting lineup. Initially, MU said it would start freshman center Peyton Marshall over Mitchell, but reverted to its usual starting lineup just a few minutes before the start of the game.Â
• Missouri's defense is happy to switch matchups inside of any given possession, often with no regard for positions, switching 1-5. That became a problematic philosophy against Newell, who found himself continually guarded down low by an MU guard in the second half. When that happened, the Bulldogs were quick to funnel him the ball, and the star freshman punished Mizzou for allowing the mismatches.Â
Key moment
As Mizzou's offense stabilized early in the second half, its defensive system began to cause more havoc on the perimeter. That sparked a 6-0 run, allowing the visiitors to take a double-digit lead with 12 minutes to go. Robinson stole the ball and flushed it away on the other end to put his team up 64-54 with 12:13 on the clock.
On the Tigers' next possession, they ran a designed lob play from Robinson to Newell. Then Robinson stole the ball once more for a dunk that came exactly 60 seconds after his last one and bagged a 3. What wound up a 15-0 run gave Missouri a decisive edge.
Key stat
36-27:ÌýThat's Mizzou's total rebounds secured compared to Georgia's — the eighth SEC game in which the Tigers outrebounded their opponent. MU also earned an edge on offensive rebounds, grabbing 17 of those to the Bulldogs' 10.
Up next
The Tigers host No. 2 Alabama at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, a game to be televised by SEC Network, their toughest opponent left on the regular season schedule. The Crimson Tide lost at home to No. 1 Auburn 95-85 in Saturday's marquee college basketball matchup.
Photos: No. 21 Mizzou men's basketball wins at Georgia
Missouri center Josh Gray (33) shoots against against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Mark Mitchell (25) dunks the ball against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Trent Pierce (11) shoots against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Former NBA and Georgia basketball player Litterial Green waves to fans after a ceremony during the first half of an NCAA basketball game between Georgia and Missouri, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) steals the ball from Georgia guard De'Shayne Montgomery (2) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia guard Dakota Leffew (1) and Missouri guard Marcus Allen (4) vie for a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia head coach Mike White speaks with an official at a break in play during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Caleb Grill (31) vies for a loose ball against Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri center Josh Gray (33) vies for a loose ball against Georgia guard De'Shayne Montgomery (2) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Tamar Bates (2) shoots against Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart watch play between Georgia and Missouri during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri coach Dennis Gates watches play against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia head coach Mike White watches play against Missouri during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri center Josh Gray (33) shoots against Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Mark Mitchell (25) shoots against Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) drives against Georgia guard Dakota Leffew (1) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia guard Silas Demary Jr. (5) holds on to the ball against Missouri guard Tony Perkins (12) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) celebrates his shot against Missouri during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) shoots against Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Jacob Crews (35) looses the ball against Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward Justin Abson (25) drives against Missouri guard Jacob Crews (35) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) drives against Missouri guard Tony Perkins (12) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) shoots against Missouri guard Jacob Crews (35) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) runs into Georgia guard De'Shayne Montgomery (2) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Caleb Grill (31) shoots from the line against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) works against Georgia guard Blue Cain (0) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Caleb Grill (31) shoots against Georgia during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia guard Blue Cain (0) moves against Missouri guard Jacob Crews (35) during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Missouri guard Tamar Bates (2) runs against Georgia during the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) runs against Missouri during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Mike Stewart
No. 21 Mizzou's slumping sophomores have 'got to play better' as regular season winds down
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Are the sophomores slumping?
Inside Mizzou Arena, they seemingly are. With No. 21 Missouri (18-6, 7-4 Southeastern Conference) on the precipice of securing its spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers are entering a generally favorable back stretch of regular season games.
And with those matchups comes a chance to get their two sophomore starters back online.
As MU coach Dennis Gates put it bluntly ahead of Wednesday’s win over Oklahoma: “Ant Robinson and Trent Pierce got to play better. They’ve got to play better, and they know that.â€
Even after Mizzou thumped the Sooners behind Mark Mitchell’s career outing, that challenge is likely to stand heading into Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. game at Georgia (16-9, 4-8).
Anthony Robinson II, one of the team’s two starting point guards, scored 10 points against OU, landing in double digits after six straight games below that threshold. In his last seven games, Robinson is 10 for 30 from the field and averaging 2.6 turnovers and 3.6 fouls per game.
He’s still finding ways to drive to the free-throw line and generate steals, but his use of his off-hand and elbow in the former and general “handsiness†in the latter are drawing more whistles in SEC play.
“For Ant, it’s staying out of foul trouble, figuring out how he can stay aggressive offensively and defensively without getting in foul trouble, right?†Gates said.
Pierce, who starts as one of Missouri’s forwards, has scored just two points in his last three games. That’s partly because he was on the floor for just 15 minutes at Tennessee, six against Texas A&M and two against Oklahoma — a rapidly declining role for a promising player.
“Trent Pierce, the same thing (as with Robinson),†Gates said, “but more so how can he continue to spark us defensively? Rebound, getting deflections, but also not just make it about 3-point makes, right? There’s other things he does. He connects us offensively with his great passing. He’s versatile.â€
A change to the Tigers’ usual starting lineup, which includes, Robinson, point guard Tony Perkins, guard Tamar Bates, Pierce and Mitchell could be possible — though Gates’ track record suggests he’ll continue giving his players a chance to make an early impact before pulling the plug and turning to alternatives.
And in the third-year coach’s eyes, sending a message to a player through decreased playing time is more about the message than the act of parking them in a courtside seat.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of benching players,†Gates said. “It’s telling them the truth. These guys allow me to tell them the truth, no different than how I was raised by my dad, uncles, high school coach. If you ain’t get a job done, somebody else needs to be doing it.â€
It’s not that Robinson and Pierce can’t do the job, either. Robinson was the engine of Mizzou’s system in nonconference play, and Pierce has been a key contributor when he’s at his best.
“We just got to make sure these guys get out of their own way,†Gates said. “You got to understand, they’re still young. … It’s just that sophomore situation that I think they’re in.â€
MU is, perhaps, blessed in having a margin of error to give its sophomores. Every game the Tigers will play between now and the end of the regular season is winnable. KenPom has Mizzou as the favorite in each of them, though the expectation is not for the program to close the campaign without another loss or two.
Mitchell, Bates and sharpshooter Caleb Grill can carry the scoring load. Perkins and lanky forward Jacob Crews can step up on nights when Robinson and Pierce are slumping.
Any sweat about the sophomores is more about the postseason, a hope that they’ll have broken present struggles in time for the season’s most important games.
Mizzou should be able to afford them a chance to loosen up against Georgia, though the Bulldogs might be entering desperation territory when Saturday’s game tips off. They have four SEC wins and only six games left to find the four more they’ll likely need to have a tournament-caliber resume.
Georgia is unlikely to pick those up against No. 1 Auburn, No. 3 Florida or at Texas. That means UGA will be intent on leveraging its home court against MU.
Forward Asa Newell, one of the SEC’s best freshmen, leads the Bulldogs with 15 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, shooting 54.5% from the field.
Georgia is riding a two-game losing streak, having lost by one point to No. 22 Mississippi State and by 16 to No. 8 Texas A&M.
Mizzou basketball coach Dennis Gates speaks with the media on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, about Black head coaches at Southeastern Conference media days in Birmingham, Alabama, (Video courtesy Southeastern Conference)
Worthy: Why '20-plus years' is rallying cry Dennis Gates and Mizzou fans should get behind
Time takes away a lot of things, particularly if you look at time as age (Father Time is undefeated), but time also gives us plenty. It gives wisdom. It gives clarity. It gives context and perspective. It gives you the ability to look back and reflect.
Missouri men’s basketball coach ‘ words this week convey an appreciation for time, what it means, what it brings and what, hopefully, accompanies the passage of time for the program he helms.
The Tigers (18-6 overall, 7-4 SEC) entered this week . They’re in the top third of the SEC, a conference that boasts the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country and four of the top five.
Dennis Gates coaches the Missouri men’s basketball team in its 80-77 loss to Illinois in the “Braggin Rights†game on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at Enterprise Center.
Zachary Linhares, Post-Dispatch
The Tigers have continued their remarkable bounce back after an eight-win season (8-24) last year that included an 0-18 conference slate.
“We’re still in infant stages,†Gates told reporters this week in Columbia, ahead of an 82-58 rout of Oklahoma at Mizzou Arena on Wednesday night.
What should be made of Gates’ declaration that the Missouri program still is in its infancy and that “20-plus years†with the program is his aim?
If you’ve got a naturally pessimistic view ingrained into your thinking, then you’d say it was a ploy about job security and/or greasing the wheels for future contract discussions.
Or you might simply attribute the statement to getting out in front of any potential speculation. After all, recruiting and the transfer portal are increasingly cutthroat competition these days. So anything that chips away at or appears to chip away at a program’s stability can only benefit its competitors.
One of Gates’ mentors, Leonard Hamilton, , where Gates previously served as an assistant.
If you’re Missouri, you want your coach to squash any potential rumor before it gets off the ground.
Now, if you’re taking Gates’ comments with an optimistic bend, you’re leaning into the fact that the third-year coach’s rhetoric conveys the notion he sees himself as building or growing something. His words tell you he’s taking a long-term view.
Gates referenced Hamilton having been at Florida State for 23 years as an example of what he wants to do at Missouri.
Missouri men's basketball coach Dennis Gates states his opinion to an official in a game against Mississippi that his team won 83-75 on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Columbia, Mo.Â
L.G. Patterson, Associated Press
“I want to be at a place for 20-plus years too,†Gates told reporters. “I want to be here for 20-plus years, and when I say infant stages — look at the duration of just growth of an individual. You’re an infant for a while, and there’s a lot of future ahead. There’s a lot of bright things ahead.â€
You hear that and you’re optimistic because Gates is not shying away from big goals. Instead, he put them on the table in a public way and declared intentions to raise the program to an elite level.
“Our goal is to get to a place where this program has never gone. This year, it’s in San Antonio, Texas,†Gates said, alluding to the NCAA Final Four and national championship game being played at the Alamodome in April. “We’ve never been as a program.â€
OK, big dog. That’s some full-throated barking.
Gates didn’t stop there. He set a bar that’s awful lofty and one that’s not for anyone easily made nauseous by heights.
“I want an SEC championship. Regular season,†Gates said. “I want a (conference) tournament championship banner. I want an NCAA banner. I want a Final Four banner, a national championship banner in Mizzou Arena. That’s what I want.â€
Gates even included wanting Missouri to hold the No. 1 ranking in the country at some point.
So if you’re someone who is always looking for a reason to break out the pom-poms, strike up the fight song and wave that Mizzou flag, Gates gave you your daily injection of rah, rah, sis, boom, bah.
If you’re looking for something deeper than that, Gates gave you that, too. He referenced interactions with , who long ago cemented his iconic stature as both a player and coach.
Gates referenced Stewart, the program’s winningest coach and one of the most successful coaches in NCAA Division I history, almost as if he were a fatherly figure. Gates said Stewart wrapped his arms around him at times and provided a foot to his backside at times.
That fatherly type connection with Stewart brings us back to the idea of Gates’ Missouri program being in its infancy.
If Gates accomplishes all the goals he laid out, from No. 1 ranking in the regular season and conference championships to a Final Four appearance and national championship, it won’t bother anyone if he does it within five years or 10 years as opposed to 20-plus.
However, that “20-plus years†goes back to a different age in college basketball when coaches such as Dean Smith, John Thompson, Jim Calhoun, John Chaney, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim and Stewart were synonymous with their programs and their schools.
If you combine those ambitious goals with longevity, you’d solidify Missouri as a destination program on the national stage. You’d make it the type of program that makes other big-time programs look like steppingstones.
In that regard, Missouri fans and decision-makers should share Gates’ aim.
I guess “20-plus years†should be the new rallying cry for alumni.
And time will afford us all the ability to evaluate how Gates and Missouri measured up.
Mizzou basketball coach Dennis Gates speaks with the media on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, about Black head coaches at Southeastern Conference media days in Birmingham, Alabama, (Video courtesy Southeastern Conference)
