Missouri basketball’s players huddled up around Dennis Gates while he was going through the instant postgame formalities. They had a message, and they were going to deliver it together.
The Tigers’ head coach was wearing a headset and was being interviewed on the SEC Network broadcast shortly after his team had claimed its fourth straight victory. Mizzou quickly built a double-digit lead over the reeling Arkansas Razorbacks, and the Tigers kept John Calipari’s team at an arm’s length throughout the game to secure an 83-65 win Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
On Gates’ immediate left was senior Tamar Bates. To his immediate right was freshman Marcus Allen. Over his left shoulder was sophomore point guard Anthony Robinson II and over his right shoulder was walk-on Jeremy Sanchez.
The whole cast of Tigers (15-3, 4-1 SEC) was there, huddled together, making the same motion.
In unison, they raised their index fingers over their lips and stared down the camera.
Why?
“We’re just not going to do too much talking. We know what the media says about us around the country, like … TV channels or whatever. We’re not really talked about, and we don’t really care,” Bates said. “We’re just gonna keep showing up and doing what we do. Because the message has been consistent in terms of us knowing what we have in that locker room and being confident in it, so, like I said, we’re not gonna talk, we’re just gonna keep moving and doing what we do as a team.”
After handling Arkansas, the Tigers are destined for a spot in the top 25 of the national polls, which will update Monday. How high? That’s for the voters, media and coaches, to decide. But Mizzou will, barring a major surprise, be a ranked team when it travels to face Texas on Tuesday in Austin.
But, Bates said it. These Tigers really, earnestly do not care. And they haven’t for a while, even when it was on their head coach’s mind.
“In June, I think our first team-building (session) with (team psychologist) Dr. (Joe) Carr, I talked about us being ranked by the end of December or January, and the guys immediately said, ‘We don’t need to be ranked, Coach,’” Gates said. “That’s what they said. They don’t want to be ranked. They don’t care.
“They do not care about any of that. At the end of the day, our goal … is to be in San Antonio, Texas (the Final Four and national championship site.) That’s the one goal we have, and that’s what we talk about.”
Of course, you could make the argument that making a ‘shushing’ motion at the SEC Network camera is the response of a team that does care about its national standing.
There could very well be a little bit of vindication in the reaction from a team that was disregarded after an 0-19 mark in SEC play last year, getting picked to finish 13th in the league by the coaches but currently only trailing Auburn in the league standings.
Whatever the case, this is a Missouri team that has moved on from a historically low season — and it has moved on at a frantic, seemingly still-accelerating pace.
On Saturday — and now for four straight games — the Tigers certainly looked mature. If Tuesday’s win at Florida was confirmation that this is an NCAA tournament-caliber team, then Saturday’s win was confirmation that there’ll be no flukes necessary.
The Hogs, now 0-5 in SEC play, scored Saturday’s opening basket. Missouri scored the next 18.
Bates eclipsed 1,000-career points and had 13 of his 15 total points against the Hogs by the 13:31 mark of the first half. Caleb Grill surpassed the exact same milestone Saturday, knocking down a trio of first-half triples to reach 1,000 points during his 17-point game.
Missouri was up 52-36 by the time the first half ended, and Mizzou Arena was on its feet as the team had scored 50 first-half points in back-to-back games.
The Tigers were soaring, but Calipari’s Razorbacks had some life left. The visitors strung together an 8-0 run and a 10-2 run in the second half as the Mizzou offense stagnated.
Mizzou’s lane touches dried up. The 3-ball was nearly a non-factor. Missouri, after putting up 52 in the opening 20 minutes, scored just 14 points in the next 12 minutes of gametime.
But the Tigers didn’t blink. The defense stood firm, keeping the Razorbacks off the foul line and creating enough stops to make sure their lead was never less than 10. When Mizzou needed points, it found them. It was enough.
Job done. Four straight.
More: Missouri basketball score: Mizzou beats reeling Arkansas, wins fourth straight game
There’s still “two or three more steps to go” for this team, Gates said, and that the ultimate goal, in his mind, is for “100% of our team playing well at the same time.”
Mizzou isn’t there yet, but the Tigers took care of business Saturday in what looked, pregame, like the ultimate letdown spot after a top-five road win.
So, as the team disbanded from Gates’ side on the SEC Network broadcast — shushes delivered to the pollsters, talking heads and anyone else with anything to say (or not say) — Gates answered one more question.
“These guys enjoy each other, as you can see,” Gates said. “It’s a player-led program, and I’m just thankful these guys allow me to coach them with my heart, and ultimately the physical will take care of itself. But ultimately, these guys are giving it their very best, and our staff is doing the same.”
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