Lips Shushed, Hopes Unlocked: Mizzou Letting Play Speak for Itself

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Dennis Gates' players surrounded him like a herd of puppies.

Forward Mark Mitchell was swinging his tongue while someone in the pile made a wolf howl and Josh Gray channeled his "horse" nickname by neighing.

For no mystery, the Missouri Tigers are having more fun than they did last season. A lot more.

Missouri extended its win streak to four Saturday by securing a 83-65 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, fresh off the heels of a upset win on the road over then-No. 5-Florida.

After going winless in Southeastern Conference play last season, this win streak means a little bit more to the Tigers than it would for anyone who made use of the win column in conference play last go around.

The herd of Tigers crashing Gates' postgame television interview had every reason to be as rambunctious as they were.

But then Anthony Robinson II spoke up with an order. "Everybody shush," the guard said to his teammates.

Fingers went over lips and everyone fell dead silent. The only statement needed was the performances the Tigers have put together, a group that feels underrated by the country.

"We're just not gonna do too much talking," guard Tamar Bates said of the shushing. "You know what the media says about us around the country. ... We not really talked about, and we don't really care. We just wanna keep showing up and doing what we do."

Jan. 18 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers players huddle before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Mizzou Arena. | Amber Winkler/ Missouri On SI

Now standing as just one of four SEC teams with four wins currently, the Tigers will undoubtedly start to be talked about more. The other three teams are all ranked inside the top 25 of the AP Poll, including two in the top five.

But even if the attention starts to pick up, Missouri doesn't plan to start making any big claims verbally.

"The message has been consistent in terms of us knowing what we have in that locker room and being confident in it," Bates said. "So it's just like I said, we're not gonna talk."

Missouri isn't necessarily in search of that attention through rankings or hype. They're ready to embrace the role of the underdog. They're already indebted to themselves to work back from last year, making for enough motivation.

"In June," Missouri head coach Dennis Gates said, "I think our first team building with [team psychologist] Dr. Carr, I talked about us being ranked by end of December or January. And the guys immediately said that 'we don't need to be ranked, coach.' They don't wanna be ranked. They don't care."

And even if Missouri makes their way into the AP's top 25 for the first time since finishing the 2022-'23 season ranked No. 23, Gates believes it will only mark the start of what Missouri can accomplish.

The four game conference win streak is tied for the second longest for Missouri since joining the SEC in 2012. But Gates isn't caught up in the excitement.

"We're not even at our peak," Gates said. "I don't think we're playing well. I'm just being honest with you. I'm dead serious, and you guys may laugh at it. But I'm telling you, we have about 2 or 3 more steps to go."

Gates wouldn't reveal the exact details he's seeing that Missouri needs to sharpen up on, but mentioned specifically that they need to reach a point where each player is performing at their best each game.

It's a tall ask. But for all the depth Missouri has showcased early in conference play, there's been ebbs and flows in who performs at their best. One great night for one player has been a subpar for another.

Saturday after the win over Arkansas, Gates specifically called out Gray, Missouri's center and leading rebounder. The South Carolina transfer grabbed a combined 26 rebounds in the three games leading up to the Arkansas matchup, but against the Razorbacks, he didn't grab a single one. He only played once — four minutes in the middle of the first half — before Gates looked elsewhere.

On the other hand, it was some of the best performances of the season from both Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill. Bates scored three makes from three-point range in the first eight minutes, while Grill was the spark off the bench for Missouri, also making three three-point shots.

Missouri won't reach its peak until all of its pieces can thrive on the same night.

"I'm looking for a 100% of our team playing well at the same time," Gates said. "Josh Gray didn't play well today. One of the best defenders in the conference. He did not play well today. ... We didn't click on all cylinders and there's certain things that I see that you guys may not see. I can't tell you, I'm gonna keep that secret to myself, but I just think our team has growth and we've been going in this direction for a long time."

Jan. 18 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tamar Bates (2) looks down the court during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Mizzou Arena. | Amber Winkler/Missouri Tigers On SI

It's rare to see coaches show honesty like Gates to call out their players for playing below their standard. It speaks to the relationship and trust he's created with his players.

"I coach my heart out," Gates said. "They allow me to coach them with my heart. And when you coach with a kid with your heart, they know it. They know if its fake. They know if its real. And they respond a certain way and these guys are running through a wall not just for me, but for each other and the logo that's on their chest."

The ceiling for this Missouri team is hard to define. For as resilient as the Tigers have looked against Kansas and Florida, they fell flat on their face against Auburn to begin conference play, losing by 16.

There's going to be chatter surrounding this team until March.

Publicly, the team will let their play do the talking.

In the locker room, there'll be actual talk on the ultimate goal.

"At the end of the day, our goal is to be in San Antonio, Texas [for the National Championship]," Gates said. "That's the one goal we have. And that's what we talk about."

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