3 Things Learned from Dennis Gates' Ahead of Georgia Matchup

Gates spoke to the media Monday ahead of the Tigers' matchup with Georgia.

Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates reacts during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Coming off a loss at LSU, Missouri is entering its first week of SEC play with two consecutive home games. The Tigers will host No. 21 Georgia on Tuesday, then Oklahoma on Saturday.

Missouri has won all 11 of its games at Mizzou Arena this season, including the first two of SEC play.

Missouri has rode through the ebbs and flows of conference play so far, now sitting at 3-2 in league play. The upcoming stretch of home games will be vital for the Tigers entering February.

"We're in a great psychological, mental, emotional standpoint," head coach Dennis Gates said. "Being able to know and understand the big picture of this league, it's always going to be some losses. That's proven. ... This conference is really tough when it comes down to teams being able to separate themselves, and ultimately, there's a cluster that's evolving that you can see with our with our styles of play."

Gates met with the media Monday afternoon to give his final thoughts on the loss to LSU and look ahead to Georgia. Here's three of our takeaways from what he had to say.

Reviewing LSU

Missouri was able to compete with LSU in the second half of the loss, but what held it back was a poor first half offensively.

Missouri started out the game trailing 10-0, not making a field goal until the 14:18 mark of the first half. The slow start put MU behind for the remainder of the game, with LSU leading for the entirety of the 40 minutes.

"What I saw early was a lot of gaps that we did not execute," Gates said of the slow offensive start. "The reads were there, but when it comes down to pressure, we didn't put the pressure on certain guys defensively that we normally have done. The ball stuck a little bit more. In addition to that, it was just a stagnant feeling that our guys were out there and we loosened up a little bit. Maybe it's nerves, maybe it's not. We just got to be better. And we got to be able to flow and not try to dictate what's going to happen, but play with our instincts a little bit more."

Throughout the game, Missouri's offense was especially hampered by LSU putting extra defensive attention on forward Mark Mitchell, who then got into foul trouble early. He earned his second foul with 7:04 remaining in the first half and his fourth with 14:27 remaining.

"I do think that that beginning of the game set us back, but more importantly, it set us back because of the Mark Mitchell foul," Gates said. "That was the part that dictated, I think, a lot of that first half."

Looking for more out of Ant

Jan 7, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Anthony Robinson II (0) passes the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Guard Anthony Robinson II played just two minutes in the second half of the loss at LSU. Instead, it was sophomore T.O. Barrett playing in his spot while MU tried to forge a comeback.

Robinson has averaged just six points across the last four games after averaging 16.25 points in the four games prior.

Heading into the season, it was clear a lot of Missouri's success would hinge on whether or not Robinson would be able to take that next step. He's shown flashes of it at times this season, but Gates recognizes the importance of Robinson being a consistent force for this team.

"We have to understand that Ant Robinson has to continue to play better for us. If he does not play well, we don't have a chance, I believe."

Meanwhile, Barrett has taken on a larger role and contributed some of his best playing time after a slower start to the season for him. Over the last two games, he's combined for 52 minutes, 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

"When Ant Robinson is not doing something, he (Barrett) has to be the one to fill in the gap," Gates said after Missouri's win over Auburn on Jan. 14.

Missouri has been able to win without Robinson at his best, but the team's ceiling could significantly depend on whether or not he can play up to his potential.

Looking to cage the Bulldogs

Jan 3, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (5) reacts after a play against the Auburn Tigers during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Missouri will face its second ranked opponent of SEC play with the Bulldogs. So far, three of Georgia's SEC games have been decided by five points or less.

The Bulldogs enter the game with the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, averaging 96 points per game. Four Georgia players are currently averaging at least 10 points per game.

Gates also highlighted the ability of the Bulldogs to score second-chance points, which has been a significant point of separation for the Tigers in losses this season. MU allowed 21 second-chance points to LSU and 29 to Illinois.

"We have to do a better job rebounding and blocking out and doing what we have to do to secure the basketball with two hands," Gates said.

Georgia also has playmakers on defense. Specifically with 6-foot-11, 260-pound sophomore center Somtochukwu Cyril, who leads the conference with 2.9 blocks per game.

"They do a great job getting stop," Gates said. 'Whenever you have an elite shot blocker, who I believe, Somto is a defensive player of the year, not only candidate, but he's proved that worth based off what he does for his team."

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Missouri will take on Georgia at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.