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Dennis Gates is 1 of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year award.
Gates has Mizzou into the SEC Tournament quarterfinals and dreaming of a lengthy run in the NCAA Tournament. Gates’ Tigers went 21-10 in the regular season, winning 10 league games just 1 season removed from an 0-18 showing in league play.
Mizzou was picked to finish 13th in the preseason SEC media poll. The Tigers earned the 7-seed in the SEC Tournament.
Gates won 25 games in his first season with the Tigers. But Mizzou faltered last year, going 8-24 overall and 0-18 in conference play. Expectations were subdued for Mizzou entering the 2024-25 season. Instead, the Tigers have been one of the best stories in the country.
Mizzou has 3 wins over AP top 5 teams this season. It beat No. 1 Kansas by 9 points on Dec. 8. It beat No. 5 Florida on the road, 83-82, on Jan. 14. Then, on Feb. 19, Mizzou hammered No. 4 Alabama 110-98.
The Tigers will have another chance on Friday to add a fourth top-5 win when they face Florida again in the SEC Tournament quarters.
Gates is joined on the Naismith Coach of the Year shortlist by Florida’s Todd Golden and Auburn‘s Bruce Pearl. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Louisville’s Pat Kelsey, Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland, Drake’s Ben McCollum, St. John’s Rick Pitino, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, and Duke‘s Jon Scheyer are also semifinalists.
A Missouri coach has never won the Naismith Coach of the Year award.
RELATED: Sports betting is expected to launch in the state of Missouri later this year. Saturday Down South has you covered with a guide on the best Missouri betting promos to expect when the state goes live.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
