'It Meant A Lot': Tamar Bates, Anthony Robinson II Help End Mizzou's SEC Losing Streak

Missouri men's basketball avoided dropping its first two games in conference play, handily getting past the LSU Tigers to break a 21-game losing streak in the SEC.

Jan 7, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tamar Bates (2) goes up for a dunk against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Six hundred and sixty-nine days. That's how much time had passed since Missouri men's basketball had picked up its last win in the SEC before it defeated the LSU Tigers 83-67 at home Tuesday night.

That wasn't on the mind of coach Dennis Gates or any of the players that went through the 0-18 season in conference play last year. It's not the same group — it has a separate identity and isn't looking to stay in the past.

"I've not one time brought up last year to this team at all. And I've learned as a head coach what I needed to learn," Gates said. "Right now, I just want them to focus, continue to move forward. Our goal is to play in San Antonio, Texas, and that's where guys are looking forward, not backwards. And ultimately, the experiences that they learn is is paying dividends, and they're where we are now."

Even with that, it was impossible for guards Tamar Bates nor Anthony Robinson II to admit that getting that coveted win in the SEC didn't have a different meaning compared to a typical game in the regular season.

"Simply put yes," Bates said assertively on if the game meant anything extra. "I was here [in 2024], so yeah, it definitely meant a lot. My teammates probably realized why I was so fired up no matter how much we were up, because we just wanted to get that first win as a program."

Robinson concurred.

"Same with Tamar, it definitely feels good to get a win in the SEC," the sophomore said. "Looking forward to the next challenge."

The desire to get that cloud weighing of their heads was obvious once Bates and Robinson stepped on the court of Mizzou Arena. Bates finished the night with 20 points, eight rebounds and three steals while shooting 6-of-9 from the field, while Robinson added 16 points, four rebounds and four assists.

In one of its finest defensive performances of the season, Missouri forced a whopping 14 LSU turnovers that it scored 20 points from. Whether it be in passing lanes or inbounds passes after scores, the Tigers were quick to jump on the ball and gain easy opportunities for themselves.

"We wanted to start it with three stops in a row to kill. So that was our mentality coming out, and we knew that we had to be in order to protect home court," Bates said. "Like we always say, we want to be tough, physical and disruptive. So we were definitely able to execute that tonight."

Though in its own right, the Tigers' offense came to play just as much as its defense. In a bounce back outing from its blowout loss to the Auburn Tigers last Saturday, they shot 12-of-25 from 3-point range by the end of the game, while also garnering 27 free throw attempts — in which it made 21.

Missouri jumped out of the gates with a different lineup than Gates has ran with previously, sending center Josh Gray to the bench unit and forward Trent Pierce back to the starting lineup. The lineup had a strong start, as guard Anthony Robinson II picked up a quick five points and came out hot on defense.

That strong start carried even further over the next several minutes. the Tigers led 23-9 with 10:27 remaining following a 3-pointer from guard Marques Warrick, and by the 9:10 minute mark, Robinson had already reached a total of 10 points on the night.

The opposing Tigers did try to work their way back, but the Missouri offense kept rolling. From the 9:47 mark to 4:16, it went on an 11-2 road to give it a substantial lead over LSU — capped off by a deep triple from guard Caleb Grill.

By halftime, Missouri was up 42-27 with an 8-of-17 clip from behind the arc and 14 points off turnovers. To put it simply, it was a dominant half of basketball from the Tigers.

To begin the second half, Bates unleashed fire. He added six points to bring his total to 14, highlighted by a steal off an inbounds pass turned into a powerful slam dunk at the 16:43 mark. However, LSU started to find much more moment than it had previously.

After a 7-0 run from the 12:28 mark to 9:40, the Tigers narrowed the deficit down to trailing Missouri 61-47. Though his efficiency was less than ideal, guard Cam Carter started to find a way to cut through the defense while guard Curtis Givens III lit it up from 3-point range with an eventual 14 points.

Soon enough, Missouri got back to its momentum from the beginning of the game. Grill hit another big 3-pointer to make it a 73-57 game with 5:31 remaining, and from then on, the Tigers were in the driver's seat once again.

With a win finally under its belt in the SEC, Missouri now holds a 12-3 record. It'll remain at home to go up against the Vanderbilt Commodores at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.