Injuries played a significant role in the past few seasons for Mizzou, with some of their best players frequently sidelined, which hurt their chances for deep runs in multiple seasons. That wasn’t the case this year, and the credit for that goes to head coach Dennis Gates.
The strong recruiting class brought in by Gates, which resulted in one of the deepest rotations in the country, allowed the Tigers' best players to avoid dominating minutes. This helped keep them healthy for the success they've had this season.
Although sharpshooter Caleb Grill missed several games early in the year due to a neck injury, he was mostly held out for precautionary reasons and didn’t miss a beat upon his return. Aside from that, Mizzou went through the entire regular season healthy.
That was until the second half of their win over Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC Tournament, when their best player, Mark Mitchell, left the game early with a knee injury.
He was unable to participate in their next contest against Florida the following day, though Gates said he was confident the junior could have played. However, both Mitchell and the team didn't want to risk worsening the injury.
"Mark knows what he can and cannot do," Gates said. "He didn't want to put our team at a disadvantage if he's not at 100%."
It's reassuring to see both Mitchell have faith in his team to play without him and Gates trust his player. Although the Tigers lost to the Gators, it sets up Mitchell to be ready for the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Drake.
Considering it's been a week since the injury and he seemed capable of continuing to play if absolutely necessary, all signs point to Mitchell starting and playing without any minute restrictions on Thursday evening.
He was also seen running and practicing fully with the rest of the team in the days leading up to today, and in an interview, he mentioned that he's been feeling good without any restrictions.
Asked #Mizzou standout Mark Mitchell how his knee is doing.
— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) March 19, 2025
He good 👍👍👍👍 pic.twitter.com/KhMfjF2mwC
He'll likely join the rest of the club, fully healthy and ready to go, against the Bulldogs on Thursday evening as No. 6-seeded Mizzou looks to make a run and solidify their great season.