Mizzou set to begin second half of SEC season with Rally for Rhyan game
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
No. 15 Mizzou Men's Basketball is turning the page to the second half of its SEC season.
The Tigers (17-5) are hunting for their third win over a ranked opponent in their last four games in a showdown against No. 10 Texas A&M (17-5) at Mizzou Arena.
While MU aims to add a fifth win over a top-20 team to its NCAA Tournament resume, head coach Dennis Gates' group will also be playing for a great cause. Saturday's game will mark the 10th-annual Rally for Rhyan game, an event where the team will help raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer research.
This event, which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, began in 2016 when Mizzou Senior Associate Athletics Director and former assistant basketball coach Brad Loos' daughter Rhyan was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma. Since completing her treatment, Rhyan has been cancer free for more than eight years, and the Rally for Rhyan organization has raised more than $800,000 for pediatric cancer research studies. At Friday's press conference, this year's team emphasized how important this game is to the community.
"This game belongs to our community, and it belongs to the family of Rhyan. It's something that has been a tremendous asset, as you see a group of people, no matter how different we are, our different beliefs, background, politically, whatever it is, you see people getting on the same page about a fight against cancer. When you have that special connectivity with each other, you got to take advantage of the things that allow people to get on the same page, and this is one of them. We're going to continue to fight against the disease," Gates said. "We want to obviously raise funds and raise awareness but also instill confidence in those battling [cancer] because sometimes you can be isolated and that's what allows sometimes cancer to be successful. It just points that finger at one person, and it beats them down so much that sometimes you can feel alone. We want everyone who are and have gone through such to know that we're there for them."
"It's good to just always be a part of something that's bigger than ourselves, and obviously, raising money for cancer or something that's extremely important," Tamar Bates said. "It's just good to be a part of something that we really don't see every day. But, it's just good that they know that we are supporting them, and we try to do what we can to help their cause."
You can watch the full press conferences with head coach Dennis Gates and Mizzou guard Tamar Bates in the slideshow above.
Mizzou finished the first half of SEC action with a 6-3 record, including wins over three top-16 opponents in the conference: Florida, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. MU is also entering the second half of league play in a three-way tie for the No. 3 spot in the SEC standings. The Tigers have cemented themselves into the NCAA Tournament conversation over these last nine games, and despite all the resume-building victories, Bates was actually most impressed by his team's ability to respond to its few losses during the first half of its conference slate.
"We don't let anything linger directly after the game, so whether it's like in the locker room right after the game, after a loss or the first day we get back on the court and we're in practice, we address what we need to address and we watch the film, we break down the game and where we were, where we came up short and what we could fix," Bates said. "We responded after every loss this year, and that's been the word of the day since we left Knoxville, so for us, it's just about staying together and just continuing to to get better in the areas that we came up short the game prior."
However, to keep its flawless 4-0 record alive in games that immediately followed a loss, the Tigers will have to slow down Texas A&M's leading scorers Wade Taylor IV and Zhuric Phelps, who are averaging 15.1 points and 14.8 points per game respectively. Coach Gates also highlighted rebounding as a potential difference-maker in this contest. The Aggies are currently a top-10 team in the nation in rebounds per game, lifted by Solomon Washington's 5.8 boards per appearance.
"Buzz is a great coach and what I do respect about his programs is the consistency that they show. They're the number one rebounding team in the country, and it's a part of who they are. It's their identity, but they do so many other great things when it comes down to a game plan," Gates said. "We want to play our brand of basketball. We want to be able to also have our identity on the game, and the other thing that I look at is we also have done a great job rebounding the basketball. So, it's going to be a game where both teams are going to give their very best. Both teams are going to give their very best in the area that will be probably a deciding factor in the game.'
Tipoff on Saturday, Feb. 8 is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
