From Fringe to Force: How Dennis Gates Has Transformed Mizzou Basketball in One Season

March 13, 2024: Missouri basketball falls to Georgia, 64-59, in first-round matchup of SEC Tournament, finishing 0-19 in conference play.

Coming off a 2023 season in which MU reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament, failing to win a conference game was one of the biggest letdowns in program history. Dennis Gates' tenure to this point had been marked by "turning the program around" in his first year, followed by one of the worst seasons in program history just a year later.

By the end of the season, Mizzou Arena had become eerily silent, and the sense of success from the previous season felt as though it had happened years ago.

Gates didn’t let this bother him, as he remained focused and undeterred, adding a handful of high-level recruits.

MU returned only four players of significance from its winless campaign. Anthony Robinson and Trent Pierce, each entering their sophomore season, were expected to make significant strides. The tandem of Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill would be relied upon for their veteran experience and big-play ability.

A handful of significant transfers included Mark Mitchell, Josh Gray, Jacob Crews, Marques Warrick, and Tony Perkins. Paired with incoming freshmen Peyton Marshall, Marcus Allen, Annor Boateng, and T.O. Barrett, the Tigers were suddenly viewed as a potential dark-horse tournament team heading into the season. Even so, it remained a long shot for MU to make the NCAA Tournament.

Nov. 4, 2024: Mizzou hoops opens its season in a tough environment, facing off against the Memphis Tigers in a true road game. Gates scheduled this game intentionally to gauge how different this team was from that of the previous year.

While the Tigers looked strong in the first half, taking a double-digit lead early, MU appeared flustered late, allowing Memphis to storm back and cap off an 83-75 victory. Gates still hadn’t won a game in nearly a year, and many questioned whether he could turn Mizzou's program around during his tenure.

Despite having his back against the wall, Gates stuck to his character, doubling down on the group he had.

"The lesson is endurance," Gates said after the loss. "I think if we continue to get to know each other and grow in the right direction, we'll be able to put two halves together."

Dec. 8, 2024: The Tigers face a highly anticipated border showdown against the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks at Mizzou Arena. MU has won its previous seven games, but the most impressive of those victories came against a sluggish California team that had looked nothing like the Jayhawks.

Mizzou jumps out to a fast start, surging in the first half and creating an electric atmosphere at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers open up a 24-point lead, and despite looking flustered in the second half, manage to pull off a monumental 76-67 upset that ends with the court flooded by students and players celebrating to Mr. Brightside.

While Gates acknowledged the achievement and significance of a win like this, he also made it clear that the team had far greater aspirations.

"I just want to use this moment to build what we need to continue building here in the early stages of the program," Gates said.

Since that moment, the Tigers have done nothing but continue to build.

Jan. 14, 2025: Mizzou basketball sits at 13-3 overall and has gotten off to a 2-1 start in conference play. The SEC is being viewed not just as an elite conference in 2025, but as one of the best college basketball has seen in the past decade. While MU picked up multiple conference victories, its opponents were LSU and Vanderbilt, with both games at home. The lone loss came at the hands of the new consensus No. 1 team in the country on the road, falling to the Auburn Tigers.

The Tigers enter the O'Connell Center looking to pull off an upset against the No. 5 Florida Gators.

MU gets going early, building a 50-34 halftime lead, in large part thanks to elite outside shooting, going 7-of-14 from behind the arc. Caleb Grill emerges after dealing with a neck injury for most of non-conference play, finishing the game with 22 points and six made three-pointers.

Mizzou makes a statement on the road, closing out an 83-82 victory and improving to 3-1 in conference play.

Not only was this thrilling victory a massive statement, but it was also a valuable test of how the Tigers can play in tough road environments, a feat that MU had yet to prove in the 2024-25 campaign.

Feb. 1, 2025: A couple of weeks removed from the Florida game, Mizzou has continued its ascent. After picking up victories over Arkansas and Ole Miss, the Tigers hit the road for a top-20 showdown against Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs weren’t prepared for what was in store: a complete all-around effort from MU. The Tigers went into Starkville and delivered an 88-61 thumping to Mississippi State.

Grill scored 20 points again and was selected by Mizzou radio to do an on-court segment immediately after the contest.

What followed was the start of a symbol that has helped the Tigers establish their identity.

As Grill was being interviewed, he was swarmed by Mizzou's entire roster, who began hyping up the game's leading scorer. What started as a loud ovation quickly shifted to utter silence as all the players surrounding Grill put their fingers over their mouths, the universal signal for silence. This symbol for silence quickly became a slogan for the Tigers, who have embraced it ever since.

After the dominant victory, Mizzou had to deal with two difficult opponents back-to-back, facing No. 4 Tennessee on the road and then, on a short turnaround, squaring off against No. 10 Texas A&M back at home.

Despite dropping both games by a combined seven points, the Tigers took a hit in the rankings as the national media dropped them six spots to No. 21 in the AP Poll.

It was clear that MU had silenced the outside media, however, based on its response alone.

The answer from Mizzou: just keep winning. And that’s exactly what they did. It started with an 82-58 assault on Oklahoma, followed by a statement 87-74 road victory at Georgia.

These victories saw MU climb back to No. 15 in the AP Poll ahead of its biggest game to date, when it will host No. 4 Alabama.

Feb. 19, 2025: The Crimson Tide travel to Columbia for a top-15 battle, fresh off a crushing defeat against their rival, No. 1 Auburn.

Many expected Alabama to make a statement in response to the previous defeat, but Mizzou never gave them a chance.

The Tigers blitzed the Tide early, pressing the issue and using an explosive offensive performance to secure a program-altering 110-95 victory.

With one second left on the clock, Gates called a timeout and took the public address announcer's microphone to send a message to Mizzou’s students.

"Please do not storm the court," Gates echoed.

The students obliged with Gates' order, but the message carries more significance. Gates is building a program where beating top-5 teams is set to be the new standard. While he knows it’s a great win, and obviously he is looking out for player safety, Gates wants wins like this to become the standard for Missouri basketball.

While it was a dynamic attack, Mitchell paved the way to the win, scoring a career-high 31 points.

Fresh off the victory, the Duke transfer was asked about the silent motion his teammates had been using for weeks.

"We just want to compete," Mitchell said. "We don't care about rankings; we just want to keep doing what we do."

The message was clear: Mizzou isn’t focused on the national noise, and the symbol of silence is an internal message among the group that signifies a sense of togetherness and brotherhood.

Just a season removed from one of the worst in program history, the Tigers won 20 games for only the third time in the past decade.

Despite faltering to Arkansas after the Alabama contest, MU is not only a "lock" to make the NCAA Tournament, but as it stands, it’s on pace for a potential top-4 seed.

What was seen as a fringe tournament team preseason, Missouri has quickly reshaped its image, solidifying itself near the top of the SEC in 2025, one of the greatest basketball conferences of all time.

Not only is this a one-season success story, but it’s looking increasingly likely that Gates has altered the future of Missouri basketball. In his eyes, Gates is aiming for far more.

"The only banner we have up is an NCAA banner. I want an SEC Championship banner. I want an NCAA banner. I want a Final Four banner, a National Championship banner in Mizzou Arena. That's what I want."