Missouri head coach Dennis Gates is seen on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Howard Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Missouri coach Dennis Gates pushes back on the notion that he must settle on an eight- or nine-man playing rotation this season.
“In my career, you know, this is normal for me,” Gates said during his media session after Missouri throttled Pacific 91-56 Friday. “I’ve been able to do it as an assistant coach at Florida State, where we had 12, 13 deep, you know, in certain years. And then as a head coach at Cleveland State, and obviously, the last two years here. This is the deepest team I’ve had here, but not the deepest team I’ve had as a coach.
“It gives you added insurance that your team will always continue to fight and get better.”
He used 12 players against Pacific and 11 of them scored. Gates didn’t use guard Tony Perkins, who has been slowed by a leg injury, or Aidan Shaw, who averaged 16 minutes in the first four games.
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Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Gates went even deeper into his bench. He used 16 players (including walk-ons JV Brown and Jeremy Sanchez in the final minute) and 11 played double-digit minutes in the 49-point victory.
Shaw and Perkins got back onto the court and combined for 13 points in 28 minutes.
Last season Missouri struggled to sustain strong performances against lesser non-conference opponents at home. That was not an issue against Mississippi Valley State, Pacific (which had hung tough well into the second half at Arkansas) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff this season.
While using so many players, Missouri pushed the tempo throughout the game. This was how the Tigers looked while racing into the NCAA Tournament in Gates’ first season.
Lindenwood better buckle up for its game Wednesday at Mizzou Arena.
Elsewhere in the region, SLU had a rough week, Illinois lost a shootout at Alabama, Missouri State made more progress in Cuonzo Martin’s return to Springfield and SEMO picked up a road victory.
Here is how the region’s Division I basketball teams stack up:
Brad Underwood wants the Fighting Illini to face multiple tests ahead of the Big Ten wars. Alabama certainly gave them that during the Crimson Tide’s 100-87 victory on Wednesday. Elite recruit Will Riley adjusted to the higher competitive level while delivering an 18-point, nine-rebound, four-assist performance. Kylan Boswell (17 points, seven rebounds) and Tomislav Ivisic (14 points, 10 rebounds) also stood out. Potential NBA lottery pick Kasparas Jakucionis had 15 points and six assists, but he also turned the ball over six times. So the Illini still have some growing to do. They got to catch its breath with an 87-40 victory Maryland Eastern Shore. Riley scored 19 points and Morez Johnson Jr. had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Illinois got some national attention when Georgetown coach Ed Cooley called it a “a (B.S.) school” while touting the progress of former Illini guard Jayden Epps. “That’s not even worth wasting my time on,” Underwood sniffed. “I don’t know what he’s referencing that about. I know Jayden had a productive freshman year here, but I’m not getting into it all that.” Cooley later issued an apology after realizing how stupid he looked.
The Tigers suffered a sleepy start against Pacific Friday. They fell behind 9-4 before Caleb Grill and Marques Warrick got their offense rolling. Grill shot 7-for-9 from 3-point range while pouring in 25 points. Freshman wing Marcus Allen had eight points and four rebounds in 14 strong minutes while freshman guard T.O. Barrett looked good while seeing his first seven minutes of action. Then the Tigers pounded Arkansas-Pine Bluff 112-63 despite their 9-for-32 shooting from 3-point range. Gates ran players in and out of the game at a dizzying rate and everybody played well. Anthony Robinson delivered the best all-around performance with 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Also, none of the Not-So-Golden Lions could guard forward Mark Mitchell, who scored a season-high 20 points in just 19 minutes.
The Bears followed up their 111-106 victory over Tulsa in triple overtime by dispatching UT Arlington 78-68 Tuesday at home. Zaxton King continued his strong freshman season with 18 points and Vincent Brady II (14 points), Jalen Hampton (12 points, 12 rebounds), Dez White (12 points) and Chase Martin (11 points) also produced. Then the Bears traveled to the Cayman Islands Classic and defeated High Point 71-61 Sunday in their opening game of that tournament. Brady went off for 27 points and 10 rebounds and White added 13 points. Missouri State could cause some havoc in its farewell Missouri Valley Conference season.
The Billikens season took a costly wrong turn last week. Guard Josiah Dotzler suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice, which created a big hole in the bench. Then SLU took an 88-63 thrashing from Wichita State in Kansas City. The Shockers outscored the Billikens 48-26 in the second half, leaving coach Josh Schertz lamenting his team’s capitulation. Gibson Jimerson and Isaiah Swope combined to miss 14-of-15 shots from 3-point range as the Billikens shot 6-for-30 from beyond the arc. Kalu Anya had SLU’s best statistical line with 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Coach Brian Barone did not enjoy his return to Green Bay, where he worked as an assistant coach for the Phoenix during the Brian Wardle Era. The Cougars absorbed an 82-57 beating Tuesday while shooting just 10-for-27 from 3-point range. Ray’Sean Taylor and Desmond Polk combined to miss 11-of-13 shots from long range. Saturday’s 89-43 victory over mismatched St. Ambrose opened a stretch of four straight home games and allowed SIUE to regroup. Among the highlights of that game was Jordan Pickett scoring 13 points in 12 minutes and Ring Malith fetching 19 (!) rebounds to go with 10 points and four assists.
Ali Dibbi scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Salukis dispatched North Florida 69-44 at home Monday. Jarrett Hensley continued his solid start with nine points, nine rebounds and three assists. SIUC held North Florida to 26.5 percent shooting from the floor. Then the Salukis went on a fundraising trip to Florida and suffered a 93-68 loss to the No. 21 Gators on Friday. Dibbi scored 17 points and Hensley added 14 points in 20 minutes. “Being down 21 in the first half, it’s pretty tough to come back against a team like that,” first-year head coach Scott Nagy said after the game. “We just didn’t have any fight in the first half. There were several loose balls, several opportunities for us to make plays and we didn’t make them.”
The Redhawks split a pair of games at a multi-team event in Conway, Ark. They defeated Central Arkansas 77-73 in overtime on Thursday, then fell to UNC Asheville 72-64 on Friday. Teddy Washington Jr. continued his strong play with 34 points and 15 rebounds in those games. St. Louis-bred guards continue to excel for the Redhawks; BJ Ward scored 19 points against Central Arkansas and Rob Martin scored 13 points against UNC Asheville.
The Lions hit the road and suffered a 77-64 loss at Valparaiso despite getting 20 points from senior guard Markeith Browning II, a transfer from Milwaukee, and 17 points and nine rebounds from standout freshman forward Jadis Jones. The Lions got just eight bench points in that loss – and this lack of depth will be a problem Wednesday when the Lions play at Missouri. Gates stands ready to run his full army of players at Lindenwood.
