Mizzou Hoops Drops a Spot in AP Poll, Falling to No. 15
It’s been a pair of identical weeks for head coach Dennis Gates and his Mizzou team. In both instances, they dominated one opponent at home, only to end the weekend by losing to an inferior opponent on the road in the second matchup of the season.
As friendly as the official AP Top-25 poll has been this year, Mizzou understandably dropped a spot to No. 15 overall after their loss to Vanderbilt.
Seventh-straight week in the rankings 🤫#MIZ 🐯 pic.twitter.com/ufjUDy6H19
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) March 3, 2025
They are now 21-8 overall, with a respectable 10-6 SEC record and an 18-1 home record. The Tigers sit comfortably in 5th place in the SEC, an impressive position considering where they were just a year ago.
The Tigers dropped much further in the official Coaches Poll, falling to No. 19 overall. It’s nice to see the AP voters showing respect for the program, as it reflects their belief in the team as they close the regular season and head into the SEC Tournament and the eventual NCAA Tournament.
It’s the seventh straight week that Gates has led his team into the top 25, adding to the successful resume they have built throughout the year.
The SEC continues to dominate the AP poll this week, with seven teams ranked in the top 25, the most of any conference.
Auburn remained the unanimous No. 1 overall with a 27-2 record, while Tennessee and Florida sit at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Kentucky, whom Mizzou faces in the final regular-season game on Saturday morning, checks in at No. 19. Texas A&M dropped 10 spots to No. 22, and Mississippi State barely holds on to the No. 25 spot.
In addition, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss received votes to crack this week’s list, further adding to the strength of the SEC.
Three of the Tigers’ out-of-conference opponents made appearances on this list. Memphis ranked just below Mizzou at No. 16, while Kansas and Illinois received minimal votes toward a potential ranking.
Gates and his entire roster have made it clear that they don’t pay any attention to where they are ranked, or even if they are on anyone’s top-25 list.
They only care about where they stand in March, and if that’s the case, these last two games, as well as the SEC Tournament, loom large for their seeding and initial matchup.
Their first chance to get back on track comes in the form of another road rematch, this time against the Oklahoma Sooners, on Wednesday evening.
