5 Things to Know about the Missouri Tigers

Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, No. 19 Kentucky opens SEC play vs. Missouri in a sold-out Mizzou Arena. Brandon Ramsey shared a detailed scouting report of the 11-1 Tigers with you earlier, but as usual, I’m here with the CliffsNotes version for the more casual fan. As we approach tipoff, here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know about Mizzou.

1. The Tigers’ head coach is Dennis Gates

There are a lot of new faces in the SEC this season, including Dennis Gates, who left Cleveland State for Missouri when Cuonzo Martin was fired. Gates is from the Midwest, born in Chicago with assistant coaching stints at Marquette and Northern Illinois. He’s a disciple of Leonard Hamilton, working eight seasons on his staff at Florida State before taking his first head coaching job at Cleveland State. He won Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2021 and got Cleveland State back to the NCAA Tournament in just his second season as a head coach. As Missouri’s 11-1 record indicates, Gates is off to a great start in Columbia.

In case you’re wondering, here are all the new coaches in the SEC this year, including Mike White, who moved from Florida to Georgia, along with their winning percentages thus far.

• Missouri: Dennis Gates (Cleveland State) – 11-1 (.917)
• Mississippi State: Chris Jans (New Mexico State) – 11-1 (.917)
• LSU: Matt McMahon (Murray State) – 11-1 (.917)
• Georgia: Mike White (Florida) – 9-3 (.750)
• Florida: Todd Golden (San Francisco) – 7-5 (.583)
• South Carolina: Lamont Paris (Chattanooga) – 6-6 (.500)

2. Mizzou ranks 4th nationally in scoring and assists; 1st in steals

The Tigers are averaging 88.8 points per game, which ranks first in the SEC and fourth nationally. They’re shooting an SEC-best 51.3% from the floor, which also ranks fourth nationally. If you look at KenPom’s effective field-goal percentage, which factors in the value of a made three-pointer, Missouri’s offense ranks second in the nation at 59.0%.

The Tigers are making 61.6% of their two-pointers, which ranks second nationally, and 36.9% of their threes, which ranks 58th. Mizzou has made at least 50 percent of its field goals in 7-of-12 games this season, going a perfect 7-0 in those matchups. So, they can score. They can also turn you over. Missouri leads the country in steals with 12.8 per game. They also rank fourth nationally in assists with 20.0 per game.

3. Five players averaging in double figures, led by D’Moi Hodge and Kobe Brown

Missouri is one of just 15 schools in the nation with five players averaging at least 10.0 points per game. Graduate guard D’Moi Hodge, who followed Gates from Cleveland State to Missouri, leads the team with 16.7 points per game and an SEC-best 2.8 steals per game. Kobe Brown, who had 31 points and eight assists vs. Illinois last week, averages 14.4 points and is the Tigers’ leading rebounder with 5.7 boards per game. Brown won SEC Player of the Week and Lute Olson National Player of the Week for his performance in the 93-71 win over the then-No. 16 Fighting Illini.

The other Tigers averaging in double figures scoring are all transfers: forward Noah Carter (10.8 ppg), guard Nick Honor (10.5 ppg), and guard DeAndre Gholston (10.4 ppg).

4. They don’t really have anyone to go against Oscar Tshiebwe

So, Mizzou can score, steal, and dish the ball. One thing they’re not very good at is rebounding. Missouri averages only 33.3 rebounds per game, well below Kentucky’s 41.0. As mentioned, Brown, who is 6’8″, 250 lbs., is the Tigers’ leading rebounder with 5.7 boards per contest. Ronnie DeGray, the other forward on the roster, is only 6’6″ 225 lbs. and averages 4.2 rebounds per game. Contrast that with Oscar Tshiebwe, who is averaging a cool 13.0 boards and 15.0 points per game. Second-chance points could be key for Kentucky.

5. A “Show-Me” game for both teams

This will be Missouri’s third game vs. a ranked opponent. On Dec. 10, the Tigers lost to then-No. 6 Kansas at home, 95-67. 11 days later, they beat No. 16 Illinois 93-71 in the Braggin’ Rights game in St. Louis. They’ve also beaten Wichita State on the road in overtime, 88-84. So, which is the real Mizzou — the team that lost to Kansas by 28 or the one that beat Illinois by 22?

The same goes for Kentucky. As we know all too well, Kentucky has lost three of its four “big games,” falling to Michigan State in double overtime in the Champions Classic, at No. 2 Gonzaga, and vs. No. 16 UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic in New York. The Wildcats’ lone win over a Power 5 opponent is against Michigan in London. John Calipari is requesting patience from fans as Kentucky works out its issues on offense. We got a small glimpse of what the ‘Cats would look like with Cason Wallace at point guard vs. Florida A&M. This week, Calipari teased even more lineup changes. It probably comes much earlier than he would like, but UK’s next test is just a few hours away.

Time for both sides to show us what they’ve got.