You could go down the SEC conference standings and pick any of the top six teams to name a coach of the year and you could make a great argument as to why with how loaded the conference is. Bruce Pearl, Nate Oats, Rick Barnes, Buzz Williams and Todd Golden all have good reason to be named coach of the year in the SEC.
But of all those coaches, the one who should be named coach of the year wasn’t named on that list. There’s a coach that stands out above the rest. Look no further than Missouri's Dennis Gates. He staked his claim as college basketball’s coach of the year after Missouri shocked Alabama in Columbia, handing the Crimson Tide the second-straight loss.
As Jarrett Sutton pointed out on the X platform, what he’s done in turning this program around in one season deserves the award. Not taking away what Pearl or any of the other top coaches in the conference has done this year, but Missouri will probably crack the top 10 with a win over Arkansas on Saturday.
Last Year Missouri Record: 8-24 (0-18)
— Jarrett Sutton (@JarrettTSutton) February 17, 2025
This Year Missouri Record: 19-6 (8-4)
In the SEC this year, the best league in the country by far. Dennis Gates would like a word. https://t.co/Sn3v67SEiP
Sure you could argue Pat Kelsey or Dusty May, but Gates feels like the obvious answer, especially when you consider how tough the SEC has been this year.
Dennis Gates is college basketball’s coach of the year and it shouldn’t be much of an argument
Last season, Missouri didn’t win a single game in the SEC. Sure Dusty May and Pat Kelsey turned terrible programs around in one season too. But the caveat this year is that the SEC has been overwhelmingly the best conference in college basketball.
Going winless in conference games a year ago to being one of the top four teams in the SEC is truly remarkable. While they’ve struggled against the top teams, getting wins over Florida and now Alabama, has to be worth something.
And for what it’s worth, the Tigers have the 15th best scoring offense in the country, the fourth best for an SEC team this year. When it comes to NET rankings, Missouri is 6-6 against Quad 1 teams and undefeated against all other quadrant opponents. Only Kelsey has a better record against Quad 1 teams, 6-3, but also has three less Quad 1 opponents played compared to Missouri.
Michigan is now 4-4 against Quad 1 teams after suffering a 13-point loss to Michigan State. Again, these stats don’t tell the whole story. And when you contextualize them, Gates’ claim for being named the best coach in college basketball.
The ACC and the Big Ten aren’t as strong as the SEC this year. When you look at how valuable Gates’ turnaround this year was, you can’t ignore why that should crown him the NCAA’s top coach.