Thursday afternoon of the 2023 NCAA Tournament saw Head Coach Dennis Gates and his Missouri Tigers defeat Utah State 76-65 to advance to the second round, where Missouri will take on the 15th-seeded Princeton Tigers. Watching Missouri this season, you would notice a difference in the program that Coach Dennis Gates has built Missouri into in just year one as the Head Coach.

In a press conference last week at the 2023 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, Coach Gates preached accountability on and off the court for his Missouri Basketball program. It hasn’t been easy in year one under Coach Gates, but as seen on Saturday, Missouri Basketball is back to a level that fans in Columbia, Missouri, can be excited about. At this point, Missouri has 25 wins and a path to play in the Elite 8 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Missouri has an unexpected route; to make it to the Sweet 16 at the very least, a win over Princeton and Dennis Gates and his Missouri Tigers will be on their way into the second weekend. Once you get to that point in NCAA Tournament, you’re one win away from playing for a Final Four bid. If there were to be an unexpected Coach to do it this season, it would be Dennis Gates with his Missouri Tigers. He has Missouri positioned for a future filled with success and potential championship celebrations.

However, if Missouri were to lose, all would not be lost. Missouri has longed for the return of its basketball program. A proud program with a rabid basketball-loving fan base, Missouri has seen everyone else have success with Final Four appearances and win National Championships. Yet, coming into the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Missouri had not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2010. That alone, in year one, is a massive success for Head Coach Dennis Gates for the program he is building at Missouri. When he was hired at Missouri, many expected to see success, but not at the rate Coach Gates has delivered this program.

For Missouri, the Tigers will have an intriguing matchup on Saturday as they take on the 15th-seeded Princeton Tigers. Princeton got to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament by shocking Arizona 59-54. Princeton came into the Tournament riding half after earning an automatic bid from the Ivy League. The winner on Saturday will advance to play in the South Regional Sweet 16.

A Final Four won’t happen overnight for Coach Gates and the Missouri Tigers, but the brick and mortar is being laid for an exciting future for Missouri Basketball.