Mizzou basketball races to a 6-0 start, but Dennis Gates wants more: 'We've not done anything'
Kobe Brown stole Dennis Gates' clipboard on Wednesday.
In an easy, fun-to-watch and dominant win over Coastal Carolina, MU's head coach lauded Brown for doing something he had never done before over his 17-point performance.
Gates has every right to smile after Wednesday night's win. Against Coastal Carolina, a team that has scored 95 points per game, the Tigers stunted and styled on the Chanticleers. The Tigers blew away the best team they've played so far 89-51.
Gates still wanted to make it clear Missouri isn't where he wants it to be after defeating teams it should.
"We've not done anything yet," Gates said. "You can see the growth, but I'm not happy with certain things that happened in the game."
To be clear, none of the teams so far on Missouri's schedule are games Missouri should lose or should have lost. It's not unfair to expect them to be undefeated heading into its game against Wichita State on Nov. 29. They host Houston Christian next on Saturday morning.
What Gates wants is for the Tigers to have a different set of accountability. He wants the players to be open to speaking to their head coach in a manner that might be unconventional.
It's why he was excited that Brown took his clipboard and drew up a play.
"They have to hold me accountable," Gates said. "If I'm drawing something, and they don't understand it, and they have a suggestion, I expect them to interject with some unbelievable, high IQ basketball knowledge."
That worked Wednesday almost flawlessly. It's another thing to expect it to work in December when the Tigers will most likely see real adversity against ranked opponents in Illinois, Kansas and Kentucky.
Saying Coastal Carolina is the best team MU has played may be too loose of the usage here, but it's true. The Chanticleers were rated inside Ken Pomeroy's top 200 at No. 188, MU had not played a team rated above No. 200 yet this year.
But a third-straight win by 20 points or more is a sign that it's coming together. It's hard to think MU won't still improve as the month turns from November to December as he adds different aspects to his lineup.
If it hasn't become clear, Dennis Gates has used all the time he has in November to see what this roster is made of. Case in point, Gates said Tuesday he wanted to get Ronnie DeGray more minutes and he did so Wednesday evening.
He only does that if he's confident that adding a new aspect to his lineup won't throw off the team's timing or rhythm. Gates also said DeGray earned those minutes by turning his usually introverted self into an extrovert on the court. It's a sign of how his roster is still progressing.
The progression of MU's team makeup began with its exhibition. Gates said he randomly choose the starting five for that game and has not moved from that starting five since.
Those first few games against Southern Indiana and Penn were Gates working out the kinks and early flaws. Considering how mid-majors have upset Power 5 teams this year, wins aren't given if everything isn't completely there.
Still, MU was able to take to Gates' style of play right away. Before the season-opener, the last time a MU team recorded over 20 assists was when the Tigers dished 20 assists against St. John’s on November 24, 2017. Gates' Tigers have dished 20 or more assists in all six of their games so far. They finished with 27 assists Wednesday.
It's not easy to pass into 20 assists in a game, let alone six in a row. The Tigers needed to pass well, and they needed to knock down shots. Gates coached that into existence.
"Talk to me in April," Gates said. "If it stays consistent over 30 games, it means something."
This is concurrent with how Missouri also forced 27 turnovers. D'Moi Hodge said he was more satisfied with the turnover counts than the assists count.
"For me, the focus is our defense," Hodge said of the turnovers. "That's the one I'll take."
But the assist totals can't be ignored easily, especially as Wednesday was a sign of how much fun Missouri can be as its lineup beings to click.
Isiaih Mosley, called Mr. Microwave" by Gates, scored a team-high 23 points off the bench. All the concern about Mosley's role on the team, or lack thereof after he didn't play against Penn, is gone.
D'Moi Hodge, who scored three points in the first half, scored 15 second-half points. He's consistently showing that he's Missouri's best player.
The two combined for a 10-0 run in the second half where the Tigers scored almost exclusively on dunks in transition.
Any concerns about Missouri's defense were also non-existent against a high-scoring Chanticleers, as the Tigers did not allow a Coastal Carolina field goal in the final 8:19 of game time.
The biggest blemish on the night was how Coastal Carolina outrebounded Missouri 46-40. The Chanticleers had a clear size advantage and used it Wednesday.
It still didn't factor into MU's resounding win.
With one game standing in between MU and its first true test — a road game at Wichita State — Gates will have a chance to see what his team is made of in its first game away from Mizzou Arena.
That will be a key point to seeing where Missouri is compared to the rest of the basketball world. As the Tigers clear Thanksgiving Thursday and approach December, there are plenty of aspects Gates wants to see improve.
It's why he isn't complacent in a 6-0 record, and why he will still send his players clips at 3 a.m. on what they can improve on.
It's all a part of how Gates isn't satisfied early on.
"Happy Thanksgiving to all," Gates said.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou basketball races to a 6-0 start, but Dennis Gates wants more
