Dennis Gates and Co. looks to keep momentum rolling into SEC play
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
As the Mizzou men's basketball team is coming off of two back-to-back road wins against UCF and Illinois, it's now time for the Tigers to enter the conference part of its schedule.
"You break your season down in the offseason into three parts," said head coach Dennis Gates. "Who you are when it comes down to non-conference and then who are you in conference and who are you post season. You have to earn that last part of your season, a lot of teams do not come away with three parts.
Watch the full interview ahead of game with Coach Gates below.
As Mizzou enters conference play 11-1, Gates says he's still not satisfied with how his team has performed.
"I measure things on completion and whole, not parts and when I look at it from a whole it's not a complete game that we played," Gates said when referring to the last win against rival Illinois.
Gates said although the Tigers got the win by a pretty big margin, there were still missed opportunities.
"There were opportunities where we turned the ball over three straight times. There were opportunities we didn't execute. There were opportunities where even in the first half, we gave up certain baskets that we did not want to give up or even we were out of position," Gates added.
With only three guys on the current roster going through an entire SEC schedule before for MU, the team is leaning on them to lead the way.
SEC Player of the Week Kobe Brown is one of the returners that has played these teams in the past and says it's about to get a lot more physical.
"It will be loud also everywhere we go," Brown said. "I tell our guys all the time, you know, playing in the SEC is not easy like all the games we play is going to be like a war really."
Junior forward Ronnie DeGray has also been through SEC play before and over the last few weeks has worked his way into the starting lineup.
"I knew my time was going to come," DeGray said. "Every possession counts in the SEC, a lot of one-point victories and a lot more physical so you have to come in ready to rebound because a lot of guys are going for the rim."
Mizzou is set to host No. 19 Kentucky Wednesday at 6 p.m.
