No. 15 Mizzou pulled off a big upset over No. 4 Alabama on Wednesday night, winning 110-98, but Missouri head coach Dennis Gates had his mind on crowd control in the final seconds.
With just 1.5 seconds left on the clock, Gates made the possibly unprecedented move of calling a timeout and took the mic to plead with fans not to rush the court in celebration.
"DO NOT RUSH THE COURT!" he says. Boos followed immediately.
Dennis Gates gets on the mic and tells the Mizzou crowd "DO NOT RUSH THE COURT!"pic.twitter.com/tZHAwRO1M3
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 20, 2025
Per reports, it would seem Gates had a good reason for doing so; in addition to chaos, Gates and Mizzou allegedly avoided a $500K fine, per Missouri sports beat writer Eli Hoff.
#Mizzou coach Dennis Gates gets on the mic to ask fans not to storm the court. If they did, it would cost MU $500k. And they comply.
— Eli Hoff (@byEliHoff) February 20, 2025
In any event, the Tigers have much to celebrate with this well-earned win. The team has blown past expectations with its 20-6 record so far this season and has meanwhile upset some notable teams, like then-No.1 Kansas in December and now Alabama in February. Of course, Gates is to thank for a lot of that, so the least fans can do is listen when he asks them nicely to stay in their seats.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mizzou Coach Dennis Gates Urges Students Not to Rush Court After Alabama Upset.
