Missouri graduate student Jacob Crews pulls up for a 3-pointer against Drake during the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 21, 2025, at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan. Crews shot 1-of-3 from the 3-point line marking his only points of the night. (Haydn Gambardella/Maneater)
Head Coach Dennis Gates, Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates speak on early tournament exit and highlight takeaways from the season
No. 6 seed Missouri Tigers had their hands full with the No. 11 seed Drake Bulldogs. Drake, the Missouri Valley Conference winner came in as an underdog favorite in the NCAA Tournament.
After a first half in which Missouri shot 33% from the field and 25% from 3-point range, much work was needed in the final half of play. For much of the second half, it was the same story of poor play on both sides of the ball. However, the Tigers cut the lead to one with 4:28 remaining in the game.
Despite a late comeback attempt, Missouri left Wichita, Kansas on the wrong end of an upset, losing to the Bulldogs 57-67. Drake controlled the tempo of the game from the tip, never letting Missouri’s top players get in rhythm.
March Madness is filled with many emotions, and players and staff alike showed them during this game. Those feelings were spoken into existence in the postgame session following the game’s conclusion.
Coach Gates
“It’s a memorable season for our guys, a great accomplishment to say the least, but it was cut short,” head coach Dennis Gates said. “There’s no doubt about it, this game does not speak for our success, it’s win or go home.”
Gates was quick to look at the positives following a heartbreaking loss for his team. He pointed out how Missouri overcame so much adversity to get to this point as the Tigers made it into the NCAA Tournament just one year removed from a winless record in conference play. But at the end of the day, Gates said the team’s run was much shorter than he wished.
“I thought we made winning plays because we had winning relationships,” Gates said. “And that moment, if we could have spread it over the course of a 40-minute game… but I credit our opponent, we didn’t impose what we should’ve imposed.”
After Missouri went on a 21-9 run to trail 52-51, Drake snatched momentum right back with six unanswered points to demoralize the Tigers. Gates noted how his team showed flashes of complete play, but could not consistently make tough shots to match the Bulldogs.
“Their ball went in more than ours and at a different rate,” Gates said. “They made tough shots. It’s not that our guys were doing something wrong.”
Grill and Bates
“I feel like we were just one dribble later, one second late on what our plan was to attack them,” Grill said. “This reminded me of the Texas game, they played a similar style of basketball to them and it frustrated us.”
Missouri was unprepared for the style of basketball that Drake threw at it, similar to the woes of a 53-61 loss to Texas on Jan. 21 earlier this season. It was more apparent to the Tigers’ top scorers Mark Mitchell, Tamar Bates and Grill who shot a combined 9-for-24 from the field.
“Nobody cared for University of Missouri basketball before this season,” Bates said. “Nothing anybody could say or no loss could demean the pride I have in this team.”
Going from a sparsely populated Mizzou Arena during the 2023-24 campaign to a consistently sold-out arena during conference play means something to the players. Even with the early exit in Bates’ final season of college basketball, he said he still looks back at the team with joy because of their turnaround.
“I’ll always be coach…in some way, shape or form,” Gates said, reflecting on his relationship with Grill and Bates. “I share my love with them and I’m proud to share that love in full transparency.”
Edited by Killian Wright | kwright@themaneater.comCopy edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.comEdited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com