Basketball at Mizzou is... good now???

It’s 2023. Mizzou Hoops are a combined 25-3. Let’s take some time to talk about it.

First things first, let’s talk about the women, who keep on finding ways to win.

Robin Pingeton’s Tigers moved to 13-2 after yesterday’s win at Auburn. Chris Kwiecinski at the Columbia Tribune looked at the Tigers’ 2-0 start to SEC play (along with their recent win over Kentucky) and highlighted a few trends, including the emerging play of Notre Dame transfer Katlyn Gilbert.

Gilbert, who has been working her way back to 100 percent after an injury suffered during a loss to Virginia Tech, looked her best Sunday. She scored 14 points, had four steals and five rebounds in the win.

“I think the pace that she plays at, she’s a little bit deceiving,” Pingeton said. “I know she’s probably going to be pretty frustrated with her turnovers.”

In his recap for the Missourian, Rock M’s own Parker Gillam spotlighted Pingeton’s comments about Hayley Frank, who continues to charge her way up the list of Mizzou’s all-time greats.

One of Pingeton’s adjustments may have been shot selection. After shooting nine 3-point shots in the first quarter, Missouri only took four of them in the second. Instead, the Tigers attacked the paint more, allowing Frank to score nine points in the second quarter.

“She’s just a warrior,” Pingeton said of Frank. “She loves to compete and understand she’s an upperclassman and what’s on her plate with that. She showed a lot of grittiness for our team, and she was really vocal during timeouts.”

Hayley Frank. Katlyn Gilbert. Lauren Hansen. Mama Dembele. Haley Troup. Ashton Judd. No matter who steps up, someone always does. It’s a welcome roster build from Pingeton, who has tended to be over-reliant on star talent in the past. Now? She’s got the stars and the depth.

Now for the men who, of course, are also good!

The new Associated Press poll will be out soon and there’s a relatively decent chance that Missouri — after smoking Illinois and Kentucky back-to-back — will be making their first appearance in a few years. But even if the AP doesn’t think Dennis Gates’ Tigers are worthy, CBS Sports does, debuting the Tigers at No. 18 in this week’s poll. Their next opponent, Arkansas, sits just below them at No. 19.

Gates, who has been the face of Mizzou’s quick re-emergence, is becoming a hot topic of discussion amongst the national media. Jon Rothstein (the “This is March” guy for those who keep forgetting) will even have Gates on his podcast this week. Gates is a real X’s and O’s wonk so hopefully there’s some good strategy talk.

Yesterday at Rock M

• In which Karen helpfully curates the last week of Rock M Nation
• In which Lauren previews and Adeen reviews Mizzou’s 62-56 win over Auburn
• In which Darius Robinson is returning for one. more. year.

More Links:

• Here’s your weekly “Mizzou in the NFL” roundup:

Only one tackle for Markus Golden, whose Cardinals fell to 4-12 in losing to the Falcons.

Nick Bolton once again led the Chiefs in tackles (he had 10, along with one pass defended) as Kansas City barely escaped Denver. Maybe the Broncos would’ve won if they’d played Tyler Badie?

Two tackles for Jordan Elliott, whose Browns beat the Commanders in a battle of the mids.

Larry Rountree III got some run (literally) with 10 carries and a reception for 30 total yards with the Chargers winning the battle of LA.

• Double belated birthday to Kobe Brown and Mohamed Diarra!

• Georgia is headed to the National Championship game to earn their second straight title, and at least one player is thanking Mizzou for prepping them for the difficult semi-final against Ohio State.

• If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now!
• If you’re looking to sign up for a new streaming service, you can try FuboTV: click HERE for FuboTV access — FuboTV now has ESPN, CBS, FS1 and more sports channels.
  (** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)