Missouri will open its season Tuesday against Cleveland State with a thinner lineup than expected, and Dennis Gates didn’t hide it Monday.
Jaylen Carey has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules, while Luke Northweather will miss the start of the season because of an injury. Jamier Jones, though, is available for the opener.
That was the headline out of Gates’ media session, but the Missouri coach spent much of his time talking about something he values just as much as the scoreboard: what the Tigers took from their preseason exhibitions.
For Gates, those games were about stress-testing his team and forcing growth before the real thing begins.
“The best thing about exhibitions is that you can either have a good old-fashioned blowout against a Division III or a Division II and learn nothing, or you can put your team in situations so that there’s internal growth as a team,” Gates said.
One of the players Gates singled out was Jason Crowe Jr., the 5-star freshman who has already drawn his coach’s attention for the way he fits into the offense.
“Jason will continue to get better,” Gates said. “For me, we have a special kid, and I never want to take him away from his strengths of scoring the basketball, but also the gravity that he presents on the court for any opposing defenses.”
Trent Pierce, the senior captain, said the exhibitions gave Missouri a clear picture of where it needs to tighten up, especially on the defensive end.
“I think those games helped us in terms of seeing what we were lacking,” Pierce said. “We were really good in the half-court defensively, but I feel like we definitely could be better in transition D. Figuring out where we need to pick it up was big for us.”
Cleveland State brings a familiar face to the matchup in Rob Summers, a former assistant under Gates. Gates said the connection matters, but it doesn’t make the game any easier.
“Tough game ahead of us, one game at a time, Cleveland State, coached by our former assistant here, but also my former assistant while I spent time at Cleveland State,” Gates said. “It is a gut-wrenching game.”
He also pointed to the Vikings’ size, physicality and offensive style as problems Missouri will have to handle. Gates expects Cleveland State to push the pace early in the shot clock and use backdoor cuts and movement to create chances.
Pierce, meanwhile, said the Tigers are eager to see what they can become once the season gets rolling.
“This entire season excites me because of the talent we have,” Pierce said. “We have a really good team, and we showed glimpses of it in our exhibition games, but I feel like once we start to get rolling, we’ll see at the end of the season how good we are.”
In Other News...
Mizzous Backcourt Just Lost A Piece At The Worst Time
Missouris backcourt took an unexpected hit just as the season is about to begin, with transfer guard CJ Gunn ruled ineligible by the Southeastern Conference after earning money from a signed professional contract in May. Head coach Dennis Gates confirmed the situation, and the Tigers now have to finalize their roster without Gunn ahead of the opener, a setback for a team that had been counting on added depth in the perimeter rotation.
The timing makes the loss sting even more because Missouri was already building around a guard-heavy group, and now it will move forward with eight guards instead. Among them is freshman Jason Crowe Jr., who was named to the Naismith Trophy Mens College Player of the Year Watch List, giving the Tigers at least one notable young piece to lean on as they sort out the backcourt picture. [Read more 🡒]
Missouris Arkansas Win Made One Position Battle Harder To Ignore
Missouris Week 9 win over Arkansas offered a little something from just about every position group, and that is part of what made the game so encouraging. Connor Bazelak kept the offense moving without needing a huge statistical day, Jamal Roberts pushed past 1,000 rushing yards for the season and scored twice, and the offensive line gave the Tigers the kind of protection that lets a game plan breathe.
On the other side of the ball, Missouris front was every bit as disruptive, controlling the run and getting after Arkansas quarterback KJ Jackson repeatedly. The secondary, though, had a rougher afternoon giving up plenty through the air, which only sharpened the focus on a position battle that has become harder to ignore as the Tigers sort out where they are strongest and where they still need answers. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Just Set Up A Bigger Test Than Fans Expected
Missouris climb into the No. 19 spot in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25 is the latest sign that the Tigers have turned a solid start into something more meaningful. At 6-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play after the win over Arkansas, they benefited from a chaotic week around the country, with several ranked teams taking losses and reshuffling the polls ahead of Week 10.
Now the attention shifts to a much tougher measuring stick. Missouri is headed into a matchup with Texas, which sits at No. 10, and that gives the Tigers a chance to see whether this rise is just the product of a crowded rankings week or the start of something sturdier. The full Top 25 lists only sharpen the backdrop, but the next game will tell the bigger story. [Read more 🡒]