Dennis Gates has had a short leash when it comes to picking up two fouls in the first half. Through Missouri’s first four games, there have been eight total instances of a player committing two fouls in the first.

Four players did so in the Tigers’ win against SIU Edwardsville on Tuesday: freshman forward Aidan Shaw, senior forward Kobe Brown and senior guards Sean East II and DeAndre Gholston. Shaw, Brown and Gholston were all immediately subbed out after getting whistled for their second personal foul and stayed on the bench for the remainder of the half — Brown, who had played the second-most minutes through the first three games of the year, logged just two minutes in the first against the Cougars.

East has been Mizzou’s biggest offender, committing two fouls in the first half on three occasions. But he’s also the only player who’s been allowed to stay on the court, playing 2:59 combined in those instances. That’s mostly due to the timing of when he’s picked up his second foul.

In the team’s season opener, East came in for graduate point guard Nick Honor after Honor picked up his second foul. East ended up getting called for three fouls in the half, but Gates chose to keep him in through the buzzer to preserve Honor for the second half. In Tuesday’s game, East was whistled for his second with 22 seconds left. The Louisville, Ky. native had played well, accruing seven points, three rebounds and two assists, and Gates felt confident enough that East wouldn’t pick up his third with less than a full shot clock remaining.

The head coach’s decision to sit players with two fouls largely stems from his belief in the Tigers’ depth. Bench players have seen the floor for 38.9% of Mizzou’s minutes, per KenPom, which ranks 31st in the NCAA. The approach has also mostly paid off — Gholston earning five fouls on Tuesday was the first time anyone on the roster had fouled out of a game this year.

Gates’ philosophy might be different if his team starts to fall behind in a significant way, as Missouri hasn’t trailed by more than seven in any game this year. But if the game is close or the Tigers are up big in the first, he appears content to stay conservative and keep players with two fouls on the bench.

“Kobe was cheering (on the sideline). Like, visibly cheering,” Gates said. “And sometimes guys get in those situations and they just sit and they talk themselves out of a rhythm. He was able to still get double digits, which is remarkable. Only eight minutes, 12 (points) … We need him on the court and he's not going to keep picking up those fouls because if he does, he knows that he has to, with two fouls, sit down in the first half.”