Missouri coach Dennis Gates held a zoom press conference Friday ahead of the Tigers’ matchup with Arkansas today.
Here are a few of his quotes that I found most telling and what I think went unsaid in them.
When asked about the difference in Arkansas' team since the first matchup
What Gates said: “They’ve gotten better at roles, settling into it. You know, when it comes down to execution, they’re executing at a better rate. Guys are stepping up. They have balance, they’re getting to the foul line.”
What went unsaid: Arkansas is playing significantly better than it was when the Tigers beat the Razorbacks by 18 back in mid January.
Since that game, the Razorbacks beat Georgia, lost by three to Oklahoma, beat Kentucky by 10, beat Texas by eight, lost to Alabama by four, beat LSU by 12, and lost to Texas A&M by eight and Auburn by seven.
Those are very close losses against generally very good teams, as well as solid wins against Kentucky and Texas.
And that’s all without freshman guard Boogie Fland, who it seems from the outside might have been holding Arkansas back a little.
Don’t expect this game to be as easy as the first matchup was.
When asked about the increase in national attention since beating Alabama
What Gates said: “These guys have had big wins this year according to the public, but every game is important to us. Every single one we’ve treated the exact same. We’ve not changed anything as relates to how we attack our practices, our film study, our day-to-day operations. We’re just in this phase where others on the outside are starting to recognize as they compare us to the others that they spent a lot of time watching. So, now you’re watching Missouri and, you know, I guess everyone likes what they see.”
What went unsaid: Ya, national viewers are definitely starting to like what they see.
It took a bit too long considering the resume the Tigers have already put together this season, but I think you’re going to be looking at a ranking around 10 on Monday if the Tigers win again today, and maybe even a single-digit number depending on who loses between Nos. 7-12.
When asked about Mark Mitchell's efficiency recently
What Gates said: “He sat down at the Texas A&M game in the second half for over 10 minutes and he wasn’t aggressive. Then demands from his teammates and expectations from his teammates, our leaders do a great job. Jeremy Sanchez, Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates. And Mark Mitchell does a great job receiving the information and the demands we have of him and he does not block or even push away when we want to coach or even demand more from him. We know where his talent is, we know what talent our team has and ultimately, what you see is a young man growing.”
What went unsaid: Mitchell is averaging 23.3 points per game in the past three matchups, while also bringing down five rebounds per game since that message Gates sent against Texas A&M.
If you take out the 3s, he’s shot 6-of-10, 5-of-6 and 10-of-12 in those matchups.
He hasn’t just been good, he’s been efficient and the rim-attacking mindset he’s brought in the past few games seems to me like the next step in the Tigers’ development that makes them an even more threatening team when it comes to postseason play.
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