Year two of the Dennis Gates era of Missouri men’s basketball started off the right way as the Tigers defeated Arkansas Pine-Bluff 101-79 in front of a newly renovated Mizzou Arena on Monday night.
At first, it wasn’t the prettiest opener at first for the Tigers or Golden Lions as both teams combined for 27 fouls and 12 turnovers and Gates wasn’t too pleased with the fouls given up. But it was the Tigers’ deep roster, even without Connor Vanover and John Tonje, that overpowered the Golden Lions, leading to a 22-point victory and moving to 24-0 over teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.