Dennis Gates believes Tennessee is a ‘national championship’ level team

Missouri head coach Dennis Gates thinks Tennessee is a national championship type of team this season.

Following a 72-67 loss in which Mizzou nearly pulled the upset, Gates had to give props to Rick Barnes and the Volunteers. Now 20-6, Tennessee is ranked No. 5 in the latest AP Poll nearing March Madness.

Compared to where Tennessee finished last year, Gates sees a lot in the Volunteers in 2024. One is that this team could go all the way.

“What a great, great team we played tonight,” Gates said postgame. “Unbelievable team. I think it’s Rick Barnes’ best team he’s ever had. They’re well balanced. They have everything you need that’s characteristics of a national championship team. They have inside play, they have depth. They have shooting, they have a potential National Player of the Year. Great point guard, you know, assist to turnover ratio, and they have veterans. 

“So when you look at their program, you look at where they are compared to last year. They’re healthy, right? I think Zakai Zeigler, you know, his injury last season impacted their progress in a tournament, but they’re healthy now and they’re doing a great job.”

The Tigers actually had a 29-26 lead over Tennessee at halftime Tuesday night. But Mizzou fell to 8-18 with the loss, getting outscored by eight in the final 20 minutes.

“Our guys played hard,” Gates said. “They played really, really hard, especially in that first half. Thought the second half, when you saw that basketball go in, and we know Dalton Knecht was going to come out and make some shots. And he made some tough ones. I thought our guys got discouraged at that point, you know, and we got to do a better job of not fouling.”

Sean East II had a nice night, putting up 24 points, four rebounds and six assists. Noah Carter added 20 points, seven rebounds and one assist.

But on the flip side, it was a balanced attack for Tennessee, particularly in the second half. Knecht, as Gates alluded to, was the best player on the floor.

He had 17 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. Tobe Awaka added 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jonas Aidoo and Zeigler added 14 and 10 points, respectively, to aid Tennessee to its 20th win.

The Volunteers return to action Saturday against Texas A&M while Mizzou returns to the court that same day at Arkansas.