COLUMBIA, Mo. — While other college teams are playing high-profile opponents in fancy holiday tournaments in tropical locales — Maui, The Bahamas, the Cayman Islands — Missouri passed on the out-of-town events in favor of a more manageable stretch of games on Norm Stewart Court, like Wednesday’s matchup with Coastal Carolina.
“What I wanted at this stage was to play in front of our crowd, play in front of our city,” Gates said this week. “I think that's very important in Year 1, possibly Year 2, to do that. But more importantly, try to establish and reconnect with our tradition.