Mizzou hoops gets one more practice in the books before NCAA Tournament action

WICHITA, Kan. (KMIZ)

The Mizzou men's basketball team is officially ready for the madness of March.

On Wednesday, head coach Dennis Gates and company put one last practice in the books, before taking on No. 11-seeded Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, on Thursday night.

You can watch extended highlights of MU's practice in Wichita in the video player below.

The most interesting part of the game against the Bulldogs has to be the stark contrast in playing styles. The Tigers like to run, while the Bulldogs have one of the slowest offenses in the nation. On Wednesday MU emphasized how important it will be to not change their style of play and stay in their rhythm.

"Our team is studying the film, no different than Drake is studying the film on us. I think when everybody looks at it on paper, it's a contrast of styles, but ultimately, it's still games that need to be played. The ball is still round, the rims are still 10 feet high,' Gates said.

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

"Just playing how we play," guard Tony Perkins said. "We got a bunch of guys anyway, so somebody gets tired we can always make some adjustments by that. I would just say just play how we play. Play fast and try to, you know, get back to what we do and find a way have them play how we want to play. I think we'll be fine."

You can watch the full interview with Perkins, as well as guards Tamar Bates and Anthony Robinson in the video players below.

The other stark contrast in this game comes in size. Drake's tallest player comes in at 6-foot-8, while Mizzou's tallest player check in at 7-foot-5, nearly a foot taller.

7-foot center Josh Gray said that height differential brings up a lot of great opportunities for the Tigers, especially on the rebounding front.

"I'm always on the boards. I'm very physically imposing. I might need to dial it back a little bit, just to adjust to the new whistle, after playing 20 SEC games, but all-in-all, I think that if we follow the game plan and I do what I know I can do, then it'll be great for me tomorrow," Gray said.

You can watch the full interview with Gray in the video player below.

Believe it or not, Coach Gates and company come into this round one matchup with quite a few people doubting they'll make it out on the other side. The Tigers may be the higher seed in this scenario, but the nation thinks this game has upset written all over it.

Gray said that is great motivation for his team, though. Every time the media says they are a one-weekend show in the NCAA Tournament, it fires the locker room up more and more.

"That extra motivation sometimes is just what you need to make a pivotal run deep into March," he said. "We don't take anything for granted. We know [Drake is] a mid-major team, we know they've won 30 games, so that they're really good, they're very disciplined. But, we're one of the best teams in the country, as well. When we play disciplined, solid, physical, Mizzou basketball, fast-paced Mizzou basketball, it'll be hard for anyone to compete with us."

On Thursday, eight teams will look to advance to the second round at Intrust Bank Arena, which lies in the heart of Wichita, Kansas. The Tiger locker room is well aware of that magic that can and does take place in the month of March. In fact, they are hoping to make some of their own.

"I mean, just watching games [on Tuesday' and seeing, you know, the first game was Alabama State versus St. Francis and seeing the end of that game just like wow it's March and it's crazy like it really just is magic in March, for some reason. Things just change, so being able to be apart of that brings uh energy for sure. It's exciting," forward Aidan Shaw said.

You can watch the full interview with Shaw, as well as forward Jacob Crews in the video players below.

One thing that could factor towards Mizzou's success against Drake is the availability of forward Mark Mitchell. He missed MU's quarterfinal game against Florida in the SEC Tournament due to a knee injury, but since then a team spokesperson has confirmed he is fully available for the Big Dance.

On Thursday, the ABC 17 sports team asked Mitchell how his knee has been fairing and he was very positive.

"It feels good. I've been practicing the last few days, no restrictions, so I'm good. Feeling good, feeling ready to go tomorrow," he said.

You can watch the full interview with Mitchell in the video player below.

Up next - the Tigers and the Bulldogs will tip off at 6:35 p.m. at Intrust Bank Arena on Thursday for round one of NCAA Tournament action.