Back in the NCAA Tournament, Mizzou gets 6 seed in West region

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KCTV) - The Missouri Tigers are back in the NCAA Tournament following a one-year absence.

The Tigers were assigned a 6 seed in the West region in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Head coach Dennis Gates and the Tigers reach the big dance a year after going winless in SEC play.

It’s the second time Mizzou has reached the NCAA Tournament in Gates’ three seasons with the program. The Tigers will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 22-11 record.

THE MATCHUP

Mizzou will play No. 11 seed Drake in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The matchup will be played in Wichita. With a win, the Tigers would play either 3-seed Texas Tech or 14-seed UNCW.

Missouri head coach Dennis Gates, left, argues a call with the referee, right, during the... — Missouri head coach Dennis Gates, left, argues a call with the referee, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas A&M, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)(L.G. Patterson | AP)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

An opening night loss to Memphis got Missouri’s season off to an 0-1 start before the Tigers reeled off 10 consecutive victories, including a Dec. 8 win over No. 1 ranked Kansas at Mizzou Arena.

The Tigers fought valiantly in the Bragging Rights matchup with Illinois on Dec. 22 in St. Louis, losing 80-77.

In SEC play, Mizzou opened with a loss at No. 2 Auburn but then won four straight games, including a road game at No. 5 Florida, 83-82. In that game, senior guard Caleb Grill had 22 points off the bench.

The win at Florida wasn’t the only significant road victory for the Tigers. On Feb. 1, Mizzou beat No. 14 Mississippi State by 27 in Starkville. It was the largest road victory over a ranked program in Mizzou history.

In mid-February, the Tigers got their third win of the season over a top-5 ranked opponent, trouncing No. 4 Alabama at Mizzou Arena, 110-98, for their 20th win of the season. While the win over the Crimson Tide improved Mizzou to its best AP ranking of the year, it preceded a stretch of four losses over the Tigers final five regular season games of the season.

The Tigers lost on the road to Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, and at home on Senior Day to No. 19 Kentucky, to conclude the regular season with a 21-10 record and the 7 seed in the SEC Tournament. Concerning for the Tigers was their defense during that closing stretch of the regular season. In all four losses, Mizzou allowed more than 91 points despite only one of the losses going to overtime.

Mizzou defeated Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC Tournament, 85-73. Then, they were beaten by Florida, 95-81 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

Missouri guard Caleb Grill (31) reacts after sinking a 3-point basket against Vanderbilt... — Missouri guard Caleb Grill (31) reacts after sinking a 3-point basket against Vanderbilt during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)(John Amis | AP)

WHO TO WATCH

After transferring closer to home following two seasons at Duke, junior forward Mark Mitchell has led the Tigers in scoring with 14.1 points per game. Mitchell, a 6-foot-8 product of Kansas City, Kansas, was named an All-SEC Third Team selection.

Grill, a sixth-year guard in his second season with the program, averaged 13.8 points per game while coming off the bench for all but one game this season. The Maize, Kansas, native was named the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year after shooting 41% from 3-point range for the season.

Senior guard Tamar Bates averaged 13.3 points per game as well for the Tigers. The 6-foot-5 guard had a season-high 29 points and 5 steals in Mizzou’s December win over the Kansas Jayhawks.

Anthony Robinson, a sophomore guard from Tallahassee, Florida, was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. He averaged just over 2 steals per game.

Mitchell was among the transfers brought in by Gates on a retooled roster. He was joined by Tony Perkins (Iowa), Marques Warrick (Northern Kentucky) and Jacob Crews (UT Martin) among the Tigers’ transfers that have made significant impacts on the program revival.

Missouri's Tamar Bates, right, passes the ball around South Carolina's Zachary Davis, left,... — Missouri's Tamar Bates, right, passes the ball around South Carolina's Zachary Davis, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)(L.G. Patterson | AP)

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Dennis Gates is looking for his second NCAA Tournament victory in a season in which he’s been named a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year award.

During Mizzou’s first tournament appearance under Gates, the Tigers defeated No. 10 seed Utah State and lost to No. 15 seed Princeton.

Gates also led Cleveland State to the NCAA Tournament in the 2021 season and lost to a No. 2 seed Houston team. This is the third time he’s reached the NCAA Tournament in his six-year coaching career.

Missouri is 23-29 in the school’s NCAA Tournament history. The program has never reached the Final Four.