Mizzou men’s basketball hunts for first 3-0 start in the SEC in school history

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Head Coach Dennis Gates and company have pulled off two impressive victories to pick up their first 2-0 start in SEC play ever. The team upset then-No. 22 Florida in the opener, and followed it up with a comeback victory over Kentucky for the team's first win in Rupp Arena.

Mizzou is now looking to continue that road success and extend that unbeaten streak to three games in Oxford, Mississippi against the Rebels.

"We've taken it one game at a time, and it's a one game season," said coach Gates. "You can get too far ahead of yourself and too far behind. But our guys, with their experience, they've been in these moments before and they know how difficult this conference is top to bottom."

You can watch the full press conference with Gates in the video player below.

The return of Jayden Stone and Trent Pierce from injuries have given this team a spark at both ends of the floor. Their contributions have given defenses more dimensions to worry about when scheming for the Tigers.

Forward Jacob Crews had taken a big leap forward in his production while Pierce and Stone were out. Despite having a quiet night with just three points against Kentucky, coach Gates said he credits his willingness to step aside and make the scarifies since teams were keying to him more often.

"I've seen those guys benefit from Jacob Crews' sacrifice," said coach Gates. "[I] applaud Jacob Crews being able to show that he's gotten better and he's yielding such attention. And when you have that, you got to understand the sacrifices that come along with it."

Looking ahead to the Rebels, the Tigers will need to lean on their guards to stop the Ole Miss back court. Five of their six top scorers are guards, four of whom reached double figures in their last game.

"The one person that I think can continue to help us is Annor Boateng, and he has to do a great job," said coach Gates. "T.O. Barrett has done a great job defensively, but the attention is on Ant Robinson specifically, and for him to finish that last game with ten assists and his ability to read the defenses has helped."

The other unsung contributor for Mizzou in its win over Kentucky was center Shawn Phillips, who Gates gives credit to for being able to impact the game outside of the stat sheet.

"I think his size, athleticism shows up in different ways, not everything will show up on a stat sheet. His IQ is a very high IQ. At the end of the day, when you look at his offensive ability, it started with his skills...But being able to see him in games is ultimately great."

Up Next - Mizzou will travel for its third SEC game of the season against Ole Miss. Tip off is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10.