Dennis Gates refuses to answer question about Florida's gameplan in order to help the SEC

Dennis Gates was asked about Florida’s game-plan following Missouri’s loss to the Tigers in the Quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. He elected to keep his thoughts to himself in an effort to preserve any advantage the conference will have over other teams in the NCAA Tournament next week.

Evidently, Gates believes the Gators’ opponent in the NCAA Tournament would use the Missouri coach’s words to create their plan for slowing down Florida. A rising tide raises all boats, and the Tigers leader wants to see the SEC succeed over the next few weeks, so he decided not to take any chances during his postgame press conference.

“I’m not going to give their game-plan out, because the next game — in my eyes, I want to see the SEC successful in the NCAA Tournament. So, I’m not going to give what I think of any team in this conference away to somebody else,” Gates proclaimed. “But I will say this, respectfully, that’s a great question. I’m not trying to be rude to you, but I do like to respect our opponents, especially when I know that somebody will be preparing for them outside of this conference and they’ll listen to press conferences.

“What I will say is, they shot the heck out the basketball. They were shooting 80% for a long period of time, and it seemed like they wouldn’t miss. There was no mistakes that they made. They are balanced. They can play in different styles. You have an all-conference first-team point guard, who should be a first-round draft pick, who should also be mentioned as a National Player of the Year candidate.”

Additionally, Gates stated his belief that Florida can contend for a national title in 2025. Who is he to stand in the way if the Gators can bring the SEC to the pinnacle of the sport? The Missouri leader didn’t want to take any chances.

“Ultimately, the University of Florida is a title contender. I’ll say that again, the University of Florida is a title contender,” Gates added. “They’re the only team in this historic conference who did not have a losing streak. 15 out of 16 teams had a losing streak. The University of Florida is the only team in this conference that did not experience a losing streak. That’s a sign of a team that can play in April, and only four of them can play in April. That is a team that can play in San Antonio.”

All told, Dennis Gates took the high road regarding his team’s opponent in the SEC Tournament, and Florida will certainly appreciate his candor. However, Missouri fans may be wondering if their coach should be a little more cutthroat at the end of the day, not wanting to give their conference rivals any slack.