Everything Dennis Gates Said to Preview Kansas, Border War

A full transcript from the Missouri Tigers head coach before facing top-ranked Kansas.

Dec 10, 2022; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self, left, embraces Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates after a game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers will face what will likely be their toughest matchup of the regualar season, taking on top-ranked Kansas in the 271st matchup between the two teams in a rivalry known as the Border War.

Looking for his first victory in the rivalry, Missouri head coach Dennis Gates previewed the matchup in a press conference Thursday. Here's a full transcript of what the head coach had to say.

Opening statement:

"The Border War is not just a normal game. We never treat it that way. Our fan base is going to be excited. The history of the two programs back in the Big Eight days, into the Big 12 days, and even now, as we represent the SEC, it's still alive. And ultimately, when you look at former coaches, former players, former students, former employees, their memories of Mizzou Basketball revolves around this game, so that is understood. Our guys understand it from a historical perspective. Our guys have been prepared to know what it means to our fan base, but also what is going to mean to them. So yes, we face Kansas, we face Bill Self, we face players, but we also face the history of their program. We face their individual memories as well. And ultimately, what I do believe is this arena is going to be electric, and we got to make sure we respond in a proper way."

How he assesses his team a quarter into the season:

"It's still a small sample size in terms of our improvement. You look at what the games were our opponents, and obviously the situations that we have been in, I think our guys have shown consistent character. They've shown consistent fight. They've shown consistency in certain areas you can't control every time the ball bounces left or right, but you can control your effort, and I think our guys have done that consistently.

The other thing is, we just got to consistently take care of the basketball. I think our last game, we ended the half giving up double-digit points off turnovers, and we can't put ourselves in those situations, but how our team responded in the second half, before half time, and obviously, in relations to the game plan, I thought we simplified and was able to take care of the ball, we were able to get the shots we wanted. We were able to get to the foul line, but we, most importantly, was able to defend. So I'm happy at where our defense has been trending toward, but I'm not happy with the lack of 40 minutes. We have to play for 40 minutes, and that's that's been the challenge to our team. That's what I've been telling them."

On who he's talked to about the history of this rivalry:

"I lean on Norm Stewart for my stories. And we all know how Norm Stewart feels. And I think when it comes down to the history of this program, you got to lean on guys like that who has seen it, who has built it, he has a statue in the court named after him. So out of respect for Coach Stewart, I'm always going to lean on Coach Stewart, because ultimately, the shoulders I stand on, I'm walking the same sidelines. I'm blessed to be able to do it. But also I do talk to, Mike Anderson, I talked to Kim Anderson, I talked to Frank Haith, I talked to Cuonzo Martin. I talked to every former coach tha't that has coached here, including some of the assistants. So that's that's a great perspective to have."

On if the rivalry has the same passion it has in the decades before:

"Absolutely, absolutely, because most of, most of our fans, were born into it on both sides, right? They carry it with pride. I truly believe it's one of the best basketball rivalries out there. It may not get the same respect, but it is. We know what it means to the fan base. We know what it means to the current students. It's just not a normal game. It's not. We're not going to treat it that way. They're not going to treat it that way. They won't ever do that. So for us, I just think when you look at the history, you got to respect the history, and it's something that we all signed up for."

On if it momentam matters at all with Kansas coming off a loss and Missouri a win:

"Every game is different. What it does is it affects the psychology of individual players, sometimes, but overall, games from one game to the next, you don't know what whistles are going to be called. You don't know how sensitive foul or physicalit will be, you don't know. But in-game adjustments give us that opportunity to kind of read it, and once you read it, the momentum is the momentum. And these are high-level athletes, great players, great programs, and we both on equal sides, are going to make adjustments that allow us in game to try to come out with a victory. Bill Self is going to be Bill Self.

The best part about it is Bill Self knows me. I know him. We both come from Leonard Hamilton coaching tree. He was on coach Hamilton's first staff at Oklahoma State. I come from Coach Hamilton's coaching tree. I was his assistant for several years. So for me, we've always known each other, but Bill Self is not going to make a jump shot. Dennis gates is not going to make a jump shot. Our players will, and we got to put them in the best situations as possible, and we got to be able to allow our atmosphere to help us."

On the success with high-ball screens against California:

"Anthony Robinson, Tony Perkins, Marques Warrick, T.O. Barrett, those guys are really good at what they do. They have to be able to take what they want and not what the defense wants to give them. I think when you look at scouting report, the opposition's job is to make us do something we don't want to do. Our job is, no matter what conditions, no matter what stress it takes to do it, we got to do it, we got to execute. So what those guys bring is the ability to play with tenacity, toughness, the ability to read the game the right way, take their opportunities, be physical. They are talented, they are athletic, and we just got to make sure we take care of the basketball and not have a negative assist to turnover ratio. If we come out with that stat, it gives us a chance."

On Kansas' lack of three-point shooting, favorability of two-point shots:

"I think when you look at their shot selection, or even their analytics and matrix, they've gone and got defended by any and every coverage. When you look consistently at the different teams that they've played, not only this year, but last year and vice versa, they do a good job of getting what they want. The exposing of their opponents come from the turnovers, the transition. They're going to do what they do in half court. We can't help them. And when you look at their wins, their wins have come because teams have helped them along the way. And when you look at their victories throughout, whether, it's preseason, non-conference or conference, they've had strong post play, they've gotten to the free-throw line, they've taken care of the basketball, and they've had guys step up to make threes, regardless if they rely on them or not. They've done a good job of making them when they've taken them. We just have to do our job, play our style. They're going to play their style. But the matrix in between is free throws, rebounding and turnovers. And you got to be able to win a couple of those categories."

On the importance of free-throws in the matchup:

We'll see how the whistles blown, And ultimately, I'm going to demand consistency. And ultimately, it's going to be a hard game to ref, I know that it'll be difficult because the atmosphere makes it difficult. Referees aren't perfect. They're not. They're going to make mistakes, they're going to miss calls. But the flow of the game. Is it going to be consistent? Is it going to be consistent at the very beginning, at the very end. Or will there be a change in how they allow us to play or not? I don't know. But that's the in-game adjustment that we have to consistently harp on our guys with to make sure that they're confident, make sure that they don't get distracted by a change. But they got, they got to stay locked in to the game plan. And simple. It's just that simple. They have to do certain things.

I think when you look at style of play, just think about the SEC-ACC challenge. Our conference is in a new day of college basketball, and I don't think the respect is going to be there until you have four teams in the Final Four from the SEC. We have that potential in this conference. But each program, each coach, they coach a different style. They coach a different way. They have physicality, some rely on three's, some rely on two, some get to that free-throw line, their defenses are different. We have 12 teams that I think can legitimately get into the NCAA tournament. Will they allow that to happen? Will they pick a 7-11 conference team? That's what's going to happen. You may have two teams 7-11 make it to the NCAA tournament. Will the committee allow that to happen? Are they going to watch these games how they need to watch them and select the best teams? That's what this conference provides. But also when it comes down to the results of the conference challenge, it was 14-2, I believe, and Auburn should have definitely beat Duke. I think ultimately, Auburn is one of the top teams in the country. Alabama is one of the top teams in the country. We have Tennessee, one of the top teams in the country, so on, so forth. But there's a lot of teams that's between 15 and 20, that could be ranked in the country. That's not ranked. Is the voters the same as the committee? Why is there a difference? It should be one poll, just one poll for the whole year. Just give me one pole. Give me a real pole. Or is it an opinion? I love the involvement, but how we get to that is sometimes opinionated, and everybody doesn't watch everybody's game, and records does not indicate how good or how bad teams may be. at this phase, teams are very good, and we have a lot of great teams in our conference. There is no doubt about it, this may be the first time you have every team go to a post-season tournament. Hell, our last place team may go to the NIT. That's what I think about our conference. But again, we'll see. We will see. This is a big game for us. It's a big game for our conference. It's a big game for our players, big game for our fan base."

On what he liked from Missouri's 63-point second half against California:

"We got to the free-throw line and we didn't turn the ball over. The ball went in the basket. I think any coach will trade that any day of the week to see the ball going into the basket, limit turnovers and shoot a high percentage. That's what we were able to do. But more importantly, we didn't allow ourselves to get distracted by the scoreboard, and we sat down. We were able to defend at a high level, and we executed our game plan. That's what we're going to have to do. And the team that executes their their game plan, the best is going to is going to prevail, and ultimately, that's how it's going to be."

On the injury status of guard Caleb Grill:

"I'll mention this. Caleb grill is not going to play. He remains out any information out there that is talking about a timeline ain't true. It's not true. There is no timeline been discussed at all with doctors or even myself, and that information is not going to be out at that point, and it's not out because you cannot put a time limit on what took place. We're just treating it day by day. And that's the most important, most important thing that came out on the positive side of a scare, and that's the timetable, day by day. No words, no time, no numbers, no weeks, no months has been issued to this It hadn't been and if you hear something out there that says that it's not taking place, it's not true, and just please don't repeat it out there that, 'yeah, that's the timeline', because it's no timeline. I wish I could tell a timeline, but right now that it that is not."