How Dennis Gates, Missouri Tigers reacted to blowout win over South Carolina

Mizzou men’s basketball sophomore guard Anthony Robinson II plucked the ball from the hands of South Carolina’s Jacobi Wright. MU’s Mark Mitchell retrieved it and threw the ball to Tamar Bates.

Bates dribbled the ball twice and rose for a left-handed posterizing dunk over Gamecocks forward Nick Pringle to give the No. 14 Tigers a 21-point lead with 17:41 remaining in the second half.

South Carolina coach Lamont Paris called a 30-second timeout, and Bates dapped up and bumped chests with Missouri coach Dennis Gates, as Mizzou Arena erupted in applause.

“If we can beat their defense down the floor, it just sets us up to score 100 points some nights,” graduate guard Caleb Grill said. “When the shot goes up, that’s when your defensive possession starts because once we get (the ball), we’re going.”

The showtime play from Bates helped fuel a 101-71 trouncing of South Carolina on Tuesday night.

Grill served as the X-factor in the triumph, making the most of his minutes on both sides of the floor.

The Wichita product intercepted a pass from Wright and dished the ball to graduate guard Tony Perkins, who threw an alley-oop to Grill.

Grill caught the ball and made the layup to give the Tigers a 21-11 lead over the Gamecocks with 12:25 left in the opening frame.

“Defensively, (Grill’s) one of our highest graded defenders, and that’s what’s underestimated,” Gates said. “(He’s) always in the right spot.”

Grill was able to convert an alley-oop dunk a few offensive possessions later, rattling the rim with two hands off a pass from Robinson to extend the Tigers’ advantage to 29-13 with 10:14 remaining.

“The fast break is a part of what we do,” Robinson said. “Somehow, me and Caleb are always trying to connect because he’s running hard. That’s just who we are. (We) get up and down and play fast and have fun”

Grill again made an immediate impact off the bench for Mizzou (21-7, 10-5 SEC), making his first four shots.

The Week 11 SEC Player of the Week utilized his off-ball movement to curl around screens to find quality looks from 3-point range. Grill used off-ball picks to drill back-to-back top-of-the-key 3s for his first two baskets of the game.

“Josh Gray is setting great screens for him,” Gates said, “and Ant Robinson, Tony Perkins and everybody else is giving him good looks.”

Grill carried his supreme marksmanship into the second half, where he continued target practice against the Gamecocks (11-17, 1-14) by way of left-wing and top-of-the-key 3s. The former came with 14:32 remaining, and the latter was drilled at the 9:35 mark.

Grill also showcased his abilities inside the 3-point line, using his gravity to create a backdoor cut opportunity.

Graduate center Gray held the ball in the high post, while Grill maneuvered his way past his defender. Gray bounced the ball into the paint, and Grill retrieved it for a layup to give the Tigers a 19-11 lead with 12:59 left in the first half.

Grill’s playmaking was on display when he drove into the paint and delivered a flashy pass to Bates, who drilled a left corner 3-pointer to extend Mizzou’s lead to 37-22 with 6:14 remaining in the opening frame.

Grill finished with a team-high 22 points. He shot 9-for-11 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range.

Bates tallied 11 points, one rebound, one assist and a steal in the win.

Mitchell found success against the Gamecocks’ paint defense early, scoring 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the first half. The Duke transfer finished with 13 points, one rebound and three assists.

Robinson (14 points), Perkins (13) and graduate forward Jacob Crews (10) joined Grill, Mitchell and Bates in double-digit scoring. Tuesday marked the first time in program history that six Tigers tallied double figures during regulation of an SEC game.

Robinson had a highlight of his own, shooting a step-back 3-pointer to give the Tigers an 85-53 advantage with 8:30 left.

“The step-back, that was cold,” Gates said. “You saw Ant Robinson play as free as you’ve seen him. He tries to be too perfect. An indicator of that is him shooting mid-range jump shots, step-back 3s and then doing a little dance afterward. That’s how you know he’s having fun.”

Robinson added three rebounds, eight assists and two steals while shooting 5-for-7.

The Tigers put together an efficient shooting performance en route to their 10th SEC win of the season, shooting 63.5% (40 for 63) from the field and 57.9% (11 for 19) from deep.

“From a statistical standpoint, TCOB, taking care of the basketball, was crucial,” Gates said. “Twenty-one assists (to) seven turnovers, that allowed us to play the way we have always played, especially when our shots are falling.”

Gamecocks sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles scored a game-high 27 points to go with seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. The Columbia, South Carolina, product shot 10-for-11 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.

The Tigers’ 30-point win tied their largest margin of victory in SEC play, matching a 93-63 home triumph over Arkansas on March 5, 2013.

Gates reached 10 wins in conference play for the second time in three seasons with Mizzou.

Missouri improved to No. 9 in the KenPom rankings after the drubbing, marking its first top-10 appearance since the 2011-12 campaign.

Missouri welcomed back Jordan Butler

MU welcomed back Gamecocks sophomore forward Jordan Butler, who transferred from Missouri to South Carolina after his freshman season.

The 7-footer averaged 2.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 30 games with the Tigers.

“In the end-of-game line, I told him I loved him. He told me he loved me. And I’m proud of what he stands for,” Gates said. “He wanted to get back home, and that’s the most important thing. I had to understand that. His mom graduated from South Carolina.”

Butler played 10:44 in the contest, tallying two points, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 1-for-3 shooting.

“He’s going to be a good player in the SEC,” Gates said. “It just takes some people time. ... I’m thankful his family believed in me, and, obviously, he cherished the moments he had with his teammates here at Missouri.”

Butler and Gray swapped programs during the offseason, with Gray joining Missouri from South Carolina.

Gray averaged 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds with the Gamecocks last season.

“Well, that was the first in-season trade,” Gates said at SEC Media Days on Oct. 15. “But (Gray’s) just an unbelievable young man, great leader in our community. And we’re excited and thankful that he chose Missouri.”

Gray recorded three points, five rebounds and two assists on 1-for-2 shooting against his former team.

Trent Burns didn’t play (but could be getting closer)

Freshman Trent Burns was upgraded to a game-time decision for the first time in SEC play after missing most of the season due to illness and a right foot injury.

The 7-5 center from Cypress, Texas, did not appear in the matchup against the Gamecocks.

Burns has yet to play in a regular-season game for the Tigers. If he makes his debut, he will forgo the ability to redshirt.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey in attendance

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was in attendance for the battle between Mizzou and South Carolina.

Sankey — who has been league commissioner since 2015 — was seen in a suite behind the media seating.