Missouri wins big in SEC/Big 12 Challenge over No. 12 Iowa State

Kobe Brown finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers.

COLUMBIA - Missouri’s prolific offense out-dueled a stout Iowa State defense, defeating the Cyclones 78-61 in the final edition of the SEC/Big 12 challenge. This was Missouri’s fourth victory over a ranked team this season.

Twelve years ago, an unranked Missouri hosted the ranked Iowa State. It resulted in a quadruple overtime classic, where the Tigers defeated the Cyclones 112-109 behind Clarence Gilbert’s 43 points.

This Saturday was not the same script, as the Tigers led for over 38 minutes and held the Cyclones to only 61 points. Head coach Dennis Gates credits the win in big part to the team's preparation.

"Our guys were prepared. No matter what happens on one end of the court, we wanted to obviously separate the two and just make sure we were able to defend and do what we do. Sometimes you can't control makes or misses, but ultimately you can have great shot selection and obviously get back on defense and give your very best," Gates said.

Gates coached against Iowa State’s head coach T.J. Otzelberger for the first time in his coaching career. The two were both hired by athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois at some point in their coaching careers and have crisscrossed paths several times.

During Gates’ time as a graduate assistant at Marquette University, he spoke with Otzelberger, who served as a high school coach at the time. The two stayed in touch when Gates coached at Florida State as a graduate assistant and Otzlerberger served on the Chipola College staff.

"(Gates has) earned everything that he's gotten. And, you know, like I said, hopefully there'll be another opportunity because that one wasn't as fun for me. And but man, he did a great job. I'm proud of him. And he's a class act and a terrific coach," Otzelberger said regarding Gates.

Gates also had praise to offer to the opposition.

"Don't allow that score to think one bit that that team is not a great team. That team is great. T.J. Otzelberger is a great coach. What he's done at Iowa State is tremendous," Gates said on Otzelberger.

Missouri played their style the entire contest— fast paced. The Tigers went on an 8-0 run early on with 3 different players contributing. In the last couple of games, shots haven't been falling for Missouri, specifically the three-point ball. However, the Tigers got back on track during their game against Ole Miss this past week.

The hot shooting continued versus Iowa as Missouri connected on 14 out of 30 triples. However, Gates still expressed notes on his team's play.

"I have a different expectation for myself, my staff, and for our players. And it's not result-based. It's the quality. There were times that Iowa State made runs. There were times where we got on our heels and we didn't execute certain things," Gates said.

Missouri shot 49% from the field and 47% beyond the arc against the Cyclones, a pattern that has helped the Tigers jump out to 16 wins on the season. Despite being out-rebounded in another contest, the offensive contributions led the Tigers to another victory. Kobe Brown led Missouri with a double-double, 20 points and 12 rebounds. D’Moi Hodge, Nick Honor, and DeAndre Gholston also scored double-figures.

"As a team, we felt good today... I feel like the shots going in is what helped me get the rebounds because when they didn't go in, the defense assumed they were going in," Brown said.

Defensively, the Tigers didn’t allow the Cyclones to establish any rhythm for the majority of the first half. Missouri forced six Iowa State turnovers in less than seven minutes. The Tigers forced 19 turnovers.

Missouri remains undefeated when they score 70 points or more this season. The Tigers return to SEC play on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, when they host the LSU Tigers.