Facing the new Mizzou on the road, Kentucky basketball’s SEC opener won’t be easy

When Kentucky travels to Missouri for its SEC basketball opener on Wednesday night, the Cats won’t be facing the same old Tigers. Not by a long shot.

This Mizzou is on the move. Out is Cuonzo Martin’s grind-it-out style for the Tigers. In is new coach Dennis Gates’ up-and-down style which has Missouri fourth in the nation in scoring at 88.8 points per game and seventh in kenpom offensive efficiency. And, oh yeah, did we mention that Missouri is 11-1.

Then No. 6-ranked Kansas trampled the Tigers 95-67 in Columbia, but Missouri bounced back in a big way to rout No. 16 Illinois 93-71 in St. Louis last Thursday. And it wasn’t even that close.

“You kicked our a--,” Illinois Coach Brad Underwood told Gates in the hallway of the Enterprise Center after the game.

“We didn’t play well,” Gates told the media. “I’m serious.”

John Calipari’s club better be serious and then some if it wants to start league play the right way on Wednesday. Kentucky is 8-3 overall, but just 1-3 in marquee matchups, having beaten Michigan in jolly ol’ London but having lost to Michigan State, Gonzaga and UCLA in the good ol’ United States. No. 4 in the preseason rankings, the Cats have slipped to No. 19 in the latest AP poll.

A 12-21 overall record and 5-13 conference mark caused Missouri to show Martin the door. His record was 78-77 in five seasons, including NCAA Tournament appearances in 2018 and 2021, but it was clearly time for a change. Interest had fallen. Attendance had tanked. Mizzou was in the mood for something new.

Enter Gates, the 42-year-old Chicago native and former University of California guard who spent nine seasons on Leonard Hamilton’s staff at Florida State. In three years as the head coach at Cleveland State, Gates went 50-40 including 19-8 and an NCAA bid in 2021 and 20-11 with an NIT appearance in 2022.

Upon arriving in Columbia, Gates quickly reshaped the roster. He brought D’Moi Hodge, a 6-foot-4 guard from the Virgin Islands, and Tre Gomillion, another 6-4 guard, with him from Cleveland State. He added Nick Honor, a 5-10 guard from Clemson and DeAndre Gholston, a 6-5 senior from Milwaukee. He also freed Mizzou’s returnees to run, a drastic departure from Martin’s grindstone style.

Last year, Missouri averaged 65.5 points per game. This year, the Tigers have scored over 80 points in 11 of their 12 games. Last year, Missouri averaged five made three-pointers in 10 attempts per game. This year, the Tigers are averaging 10 made three-pointers in 27 attempts per game. They are also No. 2 in the country in two-point field goal percentage at 61.6.

They are also unselfish. Not only did Kobi Brown score 31 points in the win over Illinois, the 6-8 senior, dished out a game-high eight assists. In fact, Missouri was credited with 23 assists on its 35 made field goals as it shot 59.3 percent from the floor. The Tigers scored 33 points off 17 Illinois turnovers.

Hodge has made an instant impact, averaging 16.7 points per game. Brown is at 14.4 points, while making 44.4 percent of his three-pointers. Honor is averaging 10.5 points per game while making 46.3 percent of his threes. He’s also dishing out 3.4 assists per game.

Mizzou’s defense is a work-in-progress. Kenpom has the Tigers ranked 148th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Kansas had its way with the Tigers, shooting 57.4 percent from the floor at Mizzou Arena.

What must Kentucky do to spoil Mizzou’s sellout? Take care of the basketball. The Tigers’ get-it-and-go style feasts on turnovers and bad shots. And the Cats can’t afford to fall behind. Before Illinois knew it, Missouri had raced to a 25-12 lead on the way to a 51-27 halftime edge. A slow start in a hostile environment against the new Mizzou will be a death-knell for the Cats.

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