Mizzou hoops continues road swing with trip to Texas A&M
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Although the road has not been a forgiving place for the Mizzou men's basketball team this season, head coach Dennis Gates and his squad are hoping the momentum from a dominant win at South Carolina will carry on into another away game.
The Tigers will put that to the test in their second-straight road game, on Wednesday, as MU will square off against Texas A&M. During Tuesday's meeting with local media, Coach Gates said the difference-maker in his team's recent road win was simple: experience.
"I think our guys are getting better game-by-game, being able to know and practice those reps. Whereas before we wasn't able to do it. It's just that simple. You look at our roster and we have depth. Do we need players to play better? Absolutely. I need, you know, Luke Northweather, Trent Burns, Nicholas Randall to all step up," Coach Gates said. "You know, one of those three guys got to step up for us as we as we continue on the month of February. But, our team is doing a good job and the gelling part is the most important. The continuity is important, but they love playing with each other, playing for each other and giving their very best. Defensively, our guys are stepping up, as well."
You can watch the full press conference from Coach Gates in the video player below.
Even though Mizzou already ranks No. 4 through SEC play in defensive efficiency, Gates still wants his team to kick it up another notch. He said, this year, his defense has adjusted to the talent that they have on the roster, as he's had to coach through a depleted roster at multiple points in the 2025-26 season.
What does it look like for the Tigers to take another step forward, defensively? It's really pretty simple: execution on rebound and limiting fouls.
"From a rebounding standpoint, we have to be consistent rebounding the basketball. We have to at least alter shots if we're not blocking them. We also have to be disciplined and not foul. I think when you do those things, you put pressure on any team by staying out of rotation, defending the basketball the best you can and those are the elements that that we've possessed. T.O. [Barrett] and [Anthony] Robinson are great on-ball defenders. We have to continue to get better in other areas, whether it is rebounding or not from our guard spot. When it comes to our length and our wings, Trent Pierce and Jacob Crews, they give us some real versatility where we can switch. Those guys have to be able to defend the ball when they are switched on smaller guards and etc. So, our guys, it's a unit. Again, we're going to keep working on it and it's something that we identified to work on from day one," Gates said.
As Mizzou is still in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth, the Tigers will face a team that's tied for third-best in the conference. The Aggies come into Wednesday night's matinee with a 17-6 mark on the season a 7-3 record in league play. However, the team has lost two straight to both Alabama and Florida.
Texas A&M has one of the top offenses in the country, averaging about 90 points per game, while allowing about 78 points on the other end. When asked about what makes the Aggies so tough this season, Gates made a point to mention that first-year head coach Bucky McMillan is SEC Coach of the Year material.
"From my perspective, you know, and and I didn't get voted Coach of the Year by the coaches, but I truly believe Bucky is coach of the year in his conference," Gates said. "Regardless of what else is going on, he's done a tremendous job. But, it's the style of play that is so different and foreign to many that allows success, in addition to players being able to make plays. He has some great players on his team. They're very unselfish. They may not have five stars by their name, but they have five star hearts, they have five star toughness, they have five star execution. He has a great staff. Frank Haith on that staff, TJ Cleveland on that staff. [Those are] two guys that were on the sidelines at Missouri, at some point in time."
As of Tuesday, Mizzou ranked No. 61 in the latest NET rankings and No. 52 on KenPom, which puts them squarely on the bubble of making the NCAA Tournament in March. In fact, ESPN expert Joe Lunardi has the team as one of the First Four Out in his bracketology.
With eight games left in the regular-season, MU will need to make some noise and grab some big wins in order to get to where they would like to be in March. However, if you ask Coach Gates, it's all about just staying present in the moment you're in.
"There is going to be a lot of movement from now until the end of the SEC season...You have to keep your players in the moment because the games come so frequently and the scouting reports changes so much. You have to stay present. You can't get too far behind yourself and dwell on the last win or last loss," he said. "You can't get too far, ahead of yourself and look over opponents. Anybody's able to beat you in this league. You look at last week, Oklahoma was able to go beat Vanderbilt at Vandy. That is a big time win that no one probably have given them a chance to go out and give their very best. So for me, it's staying the moment, one game at a time. It is going to take care of itself. The NCAA implications, what they talk about within the decision making room selection committee. There's a lot for them to juggle, especially with what is going on in the recent things, dealing with the [Charles Bediako] injunction and, you know, temporary restraining orders. So for me, it's a lot that they have to decide and I can't make decisions for them. I can't dwell on the what ifs. We have to stay in the present and continue to get better."
Mizzou will tip off against Texas A&M on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in College Station.
