How A Text, A Shot and A Strong Finish Helped Missouri to Third Straight Win
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Dennis Gates woke up around 1:30 a.m. to a text from Sean East II.
The Missouri Tigers' starting guard was up thinking about his team's recent woes, which, normally, means a losing streak or a big-time loss in a very winnable game.
But that wasn't the case.
Missouri had just finished taking care of business at home against Loyola Maryland, and before that, blew out South Carolina State. Falling to Jackson State three games prior was the last time Gates' Tigers had lost, and had it been a slightly better shooting day, that would've likely gone their way, too.
It didn't, though. But the loss did get East II thinking of ways his team could improve, which became even more of his focus after the Tigers' narrow win over Loyola.
"We won the game, but our guys were still incomplete with that feeling,” Gates said.
So, East II sent his coach a text.
“We texted about one or two in the morning after the [Loyola] game," Gates explained. "And [East II] said, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’"
The proposition was simple. Missouri would start a unit of East II, Nick Honor, Noah Carter, Aiden Shaw and Tamar Bates. It would not only give the Tigers' top performers a chance to play with some new faces, but they'd get size, too. And Gates listened.
"I took his advice," Gates said. "I looked at it. I dissected it from an analytical standpoint. He planted the seed, and I said 'Okay, let me look into that,' and analytically, defensively and offensively it gave us what we needed."
East II's text set the stage for the Tigers' second true road game, and gave Missouri its best chance at winning against an "unbelievable" opponent in a hostile environment.
And, as luck would have it, the game didn't disappoint, either.
Both squads went toe-to-toe all evening, unable to pull away from each other until about the halfway point of the second half, when Missouri got out to a six-point lead. It wasn't long before Pittsburgh caught back up, but the slight swing gave the Tigers all the hope they needed.
And the game came down to one shot.
With 2:42 to play in the second half, Pittsburgh's Blake Hinson found himself with the ball and Honor guarding him. His right foot landed cleanly in the left-most part of the school logo at mid-court while his eyes remained fixed on the rim.
The Panthers were down by five and needed a spark to get themselves back in it, no matter how it happened. But Hinson was their spark.
The graduate forward got in his stance, prepared to put up a long-range shot, and fired away over Honor. It hit — the sudden burst of energy from the Panthers' arena made that very clear — and Hinson backpedalled with his hand still frozen at the point where it had been left on the forward's release. That was Pittsburgh's best shot.
"We're talking about an all-conference guy," Gates said. "He's one of the top players in the country, I believe, at his versatility, but also in his ability to read the game.
"He's a talent, man."
Hinson was in fact a talent, and the Panthers did in fact make the game close. But that was where Connor Vanover came in. Just a few seconds following Hinson's shot, both teams added points to continue their back-and-forth charade.
Suddenly, Missouri was in a position needing to score — less it gave up a lead and a chance to take home a strong road victory. So, Vanover got open, and Honor found him. He dunked it, and the game as all-but over. That was Missouri's shot.
“What I appreciate the most is that [Vanover] allows himself to be held accountable," Gates said postgame. "He didn’t bark, he didn’t fuss, he didn’t bite. He didn’t have a bad attitude. He came and gave his very best on the scout team and we saw a reflection of that in the game.”
Prior to facing the Panthers, the Tigers implemented a slightly different form of practice — and no, East II wasn't the catalyst of that, too. Gates posted a list of each players' assignment, ranging from starting to scout team. Vanover, in the midst of a slightly underperforming stint, was assigned to the scout team. But it didn't phase him.
Missouri just practiced like it always did, and set its sights on playing at its best.
“I challenged our guys to come out and play 40 minutes of basketball," Gates said of his team's mindset. "They answered that expectation."
The Tigers went on to close their game against the Panthers with ease. They walked out of the arena with a second straight road victory, a three-game win streak and a whole lot of confidence. Their strong finish ensured that.
"We wanted to make them make decisions with pressure," East II said. "We watched the film on them, and they struggled with pressure, so we wanted to bring our pressure to them to see how they would handle it."
So, what started as a late-night text turned into a game that came down to a shot, and a finish that gave the Tigers confidence against tougher opponents. Gates' squad had been challenged to play basketball to best of its ability, and it made it happen.
The result? A win, momentum and a happy trip home.
Sounds exactly like what they were hoping for.
