Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates has no doubts about Kentucky's seed in the NCAA

DrewFranklinKSR

dennis-gates-on-kentucky — Missouri basketball coach Dennis Gates during the NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn.

Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates is a candidate for SEC Coach of the Year for his turnaround with the Tigers, going from winless in the SEC last year to a No. 15 ranking in the AP poll entering Saturday’s regular-season finale against Kentucky.

On Friday, Gates previewed Mizzou’s last home game, including his honest feelings about the Tigers’ opponent and where he believes the Wildcats should be seeded in the NCAA Tournament later this month.

“Kentucky is a good team. Mark Pope is a great coach,” Gates said in his Friday afternoon press conference. “They’ve battled with some injuries. They’re not 100% but those guys are still playing, man. They are a good team, one of the few teams to beat Duke this season, and, obviously, their record is not an indicator of how good they are.”

Gates, who has Mizzou in the NCAA Tournament and ahead of the Wildcats in the SEC standings, expects Kentucky will be a top-three seed in the Big Dance.

“I truly believe they’re a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament, no doubt about it. And it’s going to be a tough task, but we’ve got to do our job and take care of home court.”

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History with Mark Pope

Before he moved to Columbia, Gates coached for three seasons at Cleveland State, where his history with Mark Pope began. Gates said he had trouble building a schedule in his third year after having such a great season in his second. Pope, coaching at BYU, took on the challenge and hosted Cleveland State in Provo for the 2021-22 season-opener for both teams.

“We flew out to Utah, and it was a great atmosphere and a great game, without a doubt. And, you know, what he’s done now is nothing short of what I’ve expected.”

Yesterday, Pope spoke highly of Gates, saying, “I’m really happy for him because I’m a huge fan of his… I like the way he approaches the game. I like how aggressive he is. I like the way he carries himself. I like the way he talks about the game and honors the game. I think he’s a–I’m a big fan. I think he’s, you know, one of the really special coaches in college basketball.”

For the record, Pope’s BYU beat Gates’ Cleveland State, 69-59.