In the biggest spot of the season so far, Missouri basketball fell well short of a potential season-altering win.
The Tigers lost 85-68 to Texas in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday, Feb. 14 at Mizzou Arena, dropping a game that carried major NCAA tournament bubble implications. It was a two-point game at the half, but the Longhorns made the plays to pull ahead early on after the break, and Mizzou struggled to come up with a consistent or effective answer.
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There was not a lot to love as Mizzou (17-8, 7-5 SEC) lost on Valentine’s Day to the Longhorns (16-9, 7-5).
Here’s what Missouri basketball coach Dennis Gates said after the Tigers’ loss to the Longhorns:
More: Missouri basketball comes undone in massive spot, loses to Texas
Missouri basketball coach Dennis Gates on how Shawn Phillips Jr.’s early foul trouble changed game
Less than three minutes had passed before Mizzou center Shawn Phillips Jr. was in foul trouble, picking up a common foul and a deadball technical that sent him to the sideline for longer stretches. He picked up his fourth foul with more than 11 minutes left in the game.
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In his pregame news conference, Gates made a point to mention his trimmed, seven-player midweek rotation in a win over Texas A&M likely wouldn’t carry over, because they needed Phillips in the game and out of foul trouble.
He played 18 minutes, which was seven less than Texas big man Matas Vokietaitas. Vokietaitas ended up drawing seven fouls, scoring 19 points and hauling in 10 rebounds.
Phillips was the only Missouri player to finish with a positive plus/minus in the loss, but he wasn’t on the floor long enough to make a lasting or consistent difference.
“Big fellow, Matas, played 25 minutes. Shawn played 18. And that difference gives you an advantage because of size, ability and things like that, and we wanted to keep those minutes sort of the same, and Shawn even playing more, but that foul trouble hurt him,” Gates said. “Still had to play him with two fouls in the first and he managed to get away with no foul. But, again, subbing in and out, he doesn’t get a rhythm. And, ultimately, what I wish is that those two could play the whole game, because it was a good game to be played.”
Feb 14, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates reacts to play against the Texas Longhorns during the second half of the game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
On Texas taking away the 3-point line
While Texas built a double-digit lead in the second, making some timely shots from behind the arc through Dailyn Swain and Jordan Pope, Mizzou was surprisingly timid from 3-point range, seemingly passing up several chances from behind the arc in preference of inside touches.
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The Tigers only took six shots from deep before the clock showed seven minutes remaining. Mizzou took 10 shots in the full game, which is a season-low and the third-lowest total of the Gates era in Columbia.
Texas coach Sean Miller said taking the perimeter away was one of the Longhorns’ keys to winning. When asked what Texas did to limit Mizzou from deep, Gates instead opted to talk about the free-throw line.
“If they were taking that away, then he (Mark Mitchell) should have shot 20 free throws,” Gates said. “If they were doing that, that means he was one-on-one a lot. And, unfortunately, we weren’t able to get that amount of calls, especially in that first half. I thought there were some plays early that could have went either way, but I thought he was physical enough to be able to come away with a foul, and at least and-1s, because he leads the country in and-1s.
“And you can’t call 100 fouls, I get that, but you can still call (them) when they count.
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“I thought we had some empty possessions, especially some bunnies at the end of that first (half) where we could have disrupted the run, but we weren’t able to execute. T.O. (Barrett) missed some easy baskets, Mark missed a couple. Just plays that we can’t get back.”
On the NCAA tournament implications of a loss
Feb 14, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates gestures to players against the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Saturday’s game carried massive NCAA tournament stakes. Mizzou was the last team into the field in ESPN’s bracket projections the morning of the game. Texas was just one seed line better off.
It was, no question, a bubble battle. And the Longhorns are leaving with a potentially season-altering road win.
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Mizzou next faces Vanderbilt on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Mizzou Arena. That is now very close to a must-win spot for the Tigers, who have six games remaining in the regular season and need a strong finish for a March Madness push.
“Well, at the end of the day, Selection Sunday is Selection Sunday. There’s not one person who publicly put out information regarding what this selection committee is thinking during this time,” Gates said. “What I’m thankful (for) is that our guys are getting healthy and we’re able to continue to get better. That’s what has taken place. But, as it relates to the SEC, it just speaks volumes of how deep our conference is, and if you look across the conference and see how many teams have won on the road in tough environments, that speaks volumes for our conference.
“You know, this is a good team that we have here. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do, but obviously we want to continue to do more and stay positive. It’s not always as good as you think it is, and it’s not always as bad as you think it is. So, we want to kind of stay in the middle and bounce back, because it’s a long season.”
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: What Dennis Gates said after Missouri basketball dropped game vs Texas
