Missouri and Saint Louis are finally back on the same court, and it took a phone call from Dennis Gates to make it happen.
That’s how SLU coach Josh Schertz told it Wednesday in St. Louis, crediting the fifth-year Missouri coach for ending a 25-year gap between the in-state rivals. Schertz said Gates reached out first, and the game followed from there.
“Dennis picked up the phone and made the game happen,” Schertz told reporters Wednesday in St. Louis.
“I have great respect for him as a coach, as a person. He's done a wonderful job at Missouri.
He's got a fantastic team that can compete for a national championship, and it was his idea. Again, it's his idea because it's good for his program on a lot of levels.
He's certainly not doing it as a charity for the Billikens, and I'm doing it because I think it's great for our program.”
The Tigers and Billikens will meet Friday, Nov. 6, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis for the first time since December 2001. The neutral-site nonconference game is the start of a demanding early stretch for Missouri before SEC play.
A game contract obtained by the Tribune through an open records request confirmed earlier reports that the matchup, now sponsored and branded the Regions Bank Show-Me Showdown, is locked in for three straight seasons. That means Missouri and Saint Louis will also play in 2027-28 and 2028-29.
Gates has made clear he wanted the game on the schedule. Back on Oct. 19, he said the meeting mattered beyond just one night in November.
“A game against SLU, a game that only happened three times out of the last 47, 48 years - that's important for our state,” Gates said Oct. 19.
“That's important for our future students. That's important for our alumni.
It's important for the sports community. So, that's one game that I wanted on the schedule.”
The last time these teams met, the game also came at what was then the Savvis Center. Missouri escaped with a 69-67 win after Marque Perry drilled a 3-pointer with four seconds left to tie it, then Wesley Stokes answered from 18 feet at the horn for Quin Snyder’s Tigers.
Friday could easily bring another tight finish.
Saint Louis is coming off a strong season under Schertz, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament after winning the Atlantic-10 regular season title. The Billikens then opened this season Monday with a 92-67 win over Lehigh.
They return several important pieces from that 29-6 team, including point guard Trey Green, guards Quentin Jones and Kellen Thames, the son of former Mizzou standout Kelly Thames, and possibly forward Robbie Avila, who testified in court Wednesday in a lawsuit against the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility.
That gives the matchup the kind of profile college basketball doesn’t see much anymore: a high-major team taking on a strong mid-major in a game that actually feels worth the trip. Gates has said the scheduling decision came down to one question - whether it helps Missouri when the NCAA Tournament field is set.
With the Big Dance expanding to 76 teams this year, he sees more room for strength of schedule to matter.
“What does the committee say on Selection Sunday about that game? That's the most important thing to me,” Gates said on Jon Rothstein’s podcast Inside College Basketball in July.
“They will say that that game is a great game, regardless of anyone's outcome. Their job isn't to look at the win or loss, their job is to look at the opponents that you face in atmospheres that resemble the NCAA Tournament.
Are we an NCAA tournament team? On paper, we are.
Is Saint Louis an NCAA Tournament team? On paper, they are.
“ … If I (thought) the selection committee would not have thought that game would be a great game, I would not have scheduled it.”
Missouri has already opened with a 61-point win over Cleveland State, the largest season-opening victory in program history. Saint Louis and Missouri now head into one of the weekend’s marquee college basketball games, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. on ESPNU.
Schertz said the buzz around the matchup has been impossible to miss.
“Every time I see a fan, that's the number-one thing they want to talk about. Like, not about the NCAA Tournament last year, not about how many guys we returned, not about the A-10 race, like - this Mizzou game.
Every time, you know, it's, ‘man, Mizzou.’ So it's super cool.”
And Gates, as always, is treating the game as a measuring stick for a team that is still learning on the fly.
“Not only are we going against great players, we're going against great coaches,” Gates said about his noncon schedule Oct. 19.
“We're not as experienced as these teams that we're playing (in) nonconference. Our guys, we’ll bump our heads, we’ll make mistakes, but how will we respond in those educational moments?
It'll either be a coffin or a classroom, and it's up to us to figure out which direction we handle our adversities.”
In Other News...
Ahmad Hardys Mizzou Return Came After A Comeback Few Saw Coming
Ahmad Hardys path back to the field for Missouri was anything but ordinary. Shot in the leg in May and forced into surgery that placed a metal rod in his femur, the running back spent months working through rehab before finally making it back for Halloween, when he took part in the Tigers win over Arkansas.
For a Missouri team that has leaned on toughness all season, Hardys return carried real weight beyond the box score. Eli Drinkwitz made clear how much the staff valued both the recovery itself and the way Hardy was able to contribute once he was back on the field, a reminder of how much had to go right just for this moment to happen. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzous 2027 Offense Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Missouris offensive outlook for 2027 got a major boost with Austin Simmons back in the fold, giving the Tigers a proven starting quarterback to build around as they keep shaping the roster for the future. Simmons arrived in Columbia after three seasons at Ole Miss and has already started eight games this season, enough to make him one of the most important pieces in Missouris long-range plans.
The arrangement still leaves some uncertainty, though, since his contract gives him the option to enter the 2027 NFL Draft if that path becomes available. Even so, Missouri now has a clearer picture at the most important position, and with several other skill-position players also eligible for 2027, the offense suddenly has a much more defined core to work with. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Just Got A Much Tougher SLU Problem Than Expected
What had looked like a straightforward early-season matchup for Missouri has suddenly become more complicated. St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Jason Sengheiser granted Robbie Avila an injunction that gives him a fifth year of eligibility and blocks the NCAA from using roster limits to keep him off the floor, and Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz confirmed Avila will be dressed and available for the Billikens upcoming game against Missouri.
For a Tigers team already preparing for a cross-town test, the timing matters. Avilas case mirrors that of Mark Mitchell, who also received a court allowance to return to the Saint Louis roster, adding another layer of uncertainty to a game that now carries a little more intrigue than expected. [Read more 🡒]