Heading into year three as head coach, Dennis Gates had something to prove.

His first run in 2022-23 couldn’t have gone any better: a 25-10 finish with an 11-7 mark in the SEC, good enough for a fourth place finish in the league. Gates led the Tigers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009-10. But everything crashed down in 2023-24. Missouri failed to win a single conference game (0-18), posting a final record of 8-24. A bounceback in year three was necessary if Gates hoped to get himself back in good favor with the Mizzou fanbase.

Expectations weren’t high coming into 2024-25 either. Missouri was picked to finish 13th out of 16 teams in the SEC’s preseason poll. KenPom initially ranked the Tigers outside of the nation’s Top 50. But by bringing in a handful of immediate impact transfers while also developing a few players already in-house, Gates has Missouri in the mix for a five-seed in the NCAA Tournament with one game left in the regular season.

While playing against a much tougher conference field this season compared to last, Mizzou is ranked 15th in the latest AP Poll with a 21-9 record (10-7 SEC). The Tigers are Top 10 nationally in scoring and offensive efficiency with six Quad 1 wins. And despite losing three of its last four, Missouri will host Kentucky on Saturday as the favorite in the regular season finale.

Wildcats head coach Mark Pope has taken notice of Gates’ impressive season. The two are familiar with each other, even coaching head-to-head when Pope was at BYU and Gates at Cleveland State. BYU won at home 69-59 in the 2021-22 season-opener. Pope has been a fan ever since.

“Well, I’m one, I’m really happy for him, because I’m a huge fan of his,” Pope said during his Thursday press conference. “We played when he was coaching at Cleveland State, if I’m remembering this right, and we played them in a game at BYU. And 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’m a big fan.

“I think he’s one of the really special coaches in college basketball. Last year was not — it wouldn’t have been easy for anybody, but the way that he’s helped that program, those kids have responded this year is pretty extraordinary. It’s pretty special. It’s one of the great stories, I think one of the great stories in college basketball is how they’ve responded. I love him. I think he’s terrific. I think he’s great for basketball.”

Gates is just one of the many great success stories running throughout the gauntlet that is the SEC this season. A 13-win improvement in just one offseason is no small feat. Gates will be a candidate for SEC/National Coach of the Year. But Kentucky can at least play the role of spoiler with a win Saturday in Columbia.

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