Grappling with Dennis Gates' 3 Years at Mizzou: How Do They Measure Up?

With the third season of Missouri basketball under head coach Dennis Gates coming to a close, it's time to weigh the results he's brought to the program thus far.

Mar 19, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates watches his team during a practice session at Intrust Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

It's not an outlandish claim to make that the Missouri Tigers' first three seasons under head coach Dennis Gates have ended in dissapointment.

It's a little misleading in itself without context — Missouri hasn't always had high expectations under Gates, and two NCAA Tournament entries out of three chances is a respectable rate compared to the last decade of the program. But, with the varying amount of ways each season has concluded, some things have been left to be desired.

Whether it be upsets that shouldn't have happened, or a strange collapse to the bottom, each year has been unique. There's certainly been some highs, but the lows have been just as prevalent.

Despite what might be circulating in the last few days on social media, firing Gates shouldn't even be considered at this point. Not only would it be far too soon, but there's a clear positive direction the program is still in. Ending it now, would be a mistake.

Now that there's a large enough sample size, however, it's time to fully weigh-in on Gates' time at Missouri thus far.

2022-23: A Resurgent Program

• Record: 25-10, 11-7 in SEC play
• AP Final: No. 23
• SEC Tournament: Semifinal loss to Alabama Crimson Tide
• NCAA Tournament: Second round loss to the Princeton Tigers

Jan 18, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard D'Moi Hodge (5) is congratulated by guard DeAndre Gholston (4) and guard Sean East II (55) and guard Kobe Brown (24) after taking a charge late in the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Bringing along several of his players from his Cleveland State Vikings roster — including D'Moi Hodge and Tre Gomillion — Gates headed a complete turnaround from a 12-21 campaign the season prior under coach Cuonzo Martin.

Tiger mainstay Kobe Brown was the key to everything, averaging 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game on 45.5% shooting from behind the arc — up from 20.6% his previous year. It was the first shining example of Gates developing talent at Missouri, which paid off with Brown later making it to the NBA.

The Tigers picked up a plethora of quality wins during their schedule, but most notably over the No. 12-ranked Iowa State Cyclones and the No. 6-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. They picked up four-straight wins at the end of conference play, before taking down Tennessee again in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

After Missouri was knocked out by No. 4 Alabama, the wheels started to fall off a bit. As a No. 7 seed it did take down the No. 10-seeded Utah State Aggies in the first round of the NCAA Tournament pretty convincingly, but was majorly upset by the No. 15-seeded Princeton Tigers the following round.

This season's Tigers could've made a significantly deeper run in March, but allowed an inferior opponent to get the best of them. Still, getting their first NCAA Tournament win since 2013 alone was a big accomplishment for Gates in his first year.

2023-24: The Great Collapse

• Record: 8-24, 0-18 in SEC play
• AP Final: Unranked
• SEC Tournament: First round loss to Georgia Bulldogs
• NCAA Tournament: Did not reach

Feb 28, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Sean East II (55), guard Nick Honor (10), and guard Tamar Bates (2) huddle during a free throw against the Florida Gators during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

With expectations raised and a goal set out for the Final Four in Phoenix, there was more pressure on Missouri and Gates to perform in his second season. Though Brown and Hodge were going to be tough shoes to fill, the likes of Sean East II, Nick Honor and Noah Carter were asked to take on bigger roles.

East was surely able to take on that responsibility with 17.6 points and four assists per game, but for Honor and Carter, it didn't go as smoothly. Coupled with injuries to two of its key transfer portal additions — Caleb Grill and John Tonje — it was a recipe for disaster.

As the story goes, the Tigers didn't win a single game in the SEC. Often times they'd find themselves in the driver's seat for the first half, only to fall apart in the second half and take a loss. There were few signs of encouragement all season long, making for an early blemish on Gates' vision for the program.

However, the season did still showcase Gates' ability to recruit talent. if healthy, Grill and Tonje likely would've led Missouri to a much better campaign — as seen with what they both did a year later. He also acquired Tamar Bates in the portal, as well as Anthony Robinson II and Trent Pierce in a solid recruiting class.

It's hard to excuse Gates from not picking up at least one win in the SEC, but it wasn't exactly a fair deal considering all of the unforeseen circumstances. It wasn't going to put him on the hot seat, though he needed to bring results in the following season.

2024-25: So Much Promise

• Record: 22-12, 10-8 in SEC play
• AP Final: To be determined, last ranked No. 23
• SEC Tournament: Quarterfinal loss to Florida Gators
• NCAA Tournament: First Round loss to Drake Bulldogs

Jan. 18 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Caleb Grill (31), forward Mark Mitchell (25) and guard Jacob Crews (35) against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Mizzou Arena. / Amber Winkler/Missouri Tigers On SI / Amber Winkler | Amber Winkler

Once again, Gates made it clear at the start of the new season that the ultimate goal was a Final Four trip, this time to San Antonio. After a winless conference season that was bold to say, but as the Tigers went on to prove, it was far more realistic.

A big-time transfer addition with former Duke Blue Devils forward Mark Mitchell, along with a returning Grill and Bates, helped lead Missouri back to contention in the SEC. It was an immediate return to form, emphatically stated with an upset win over the No. 1-ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Dec. 8.

The impressive wins didn't stop coming, either. The Tigers took down No. 5-ranked Florida and No. 4-ranked Alabama later in the season, putting themselves in serious contention to get a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. That was, until they lost four out of their last five games heading into it.

Though Missouri was able to knock off the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Florida quickly put its SEC Tournament hopes to bed in the following round. The loss of momentum carried over into the NCAA Tournament, losing to the No. 11-seeded Drake Bulldogs as a No. 6 seed.

Bouncing back in the way the Tigers did was impressive in its own right, but much like the first year of Gates, tournament play didn't match what should've been. The talent and development of youth was there, but not the results that are going to be looked at down the road.

Has Gates Lived Up to Expectations?

Feb. 9, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates during against the Texas A&M Aggies at Mizzou Arena. | Amber Winkler/Missouri on SI

To put it simply, yes and no. Given the shoes he had to fill and the place Missouri was in before his hire, Gates has far exceeded that. The program is in a good spot, and should be right back to contending in the SEC again next season.

The outlier in-between two NCAA Tournament bids is weird, and is inexcusable at the SEC level. When combining the three years together, though, it's a respectable resume that shows promise moving forward with Gates at the helm.

The lofty expectation of a Final Four appearance is a long ways away from coming to fruition, but at least there's hope. For a good portion of this past season there was legitimate belief that it could happen, and the recruiting prowess Gates has demonstrated will only continue to build on what's been laid out.

Sure, there's been disappointment. The loss to Drake stung in particular, especially with the comeback story that had been brewing throughout the year. That can be true, but calling for the end of Gates as the coach of the Tigers within three seasons?

Not a chance. Not just yet.