With today’s Selection Sunday bracket reveal, Miami Basketball learned its first opponent in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes will play Friday in St. Louis, Missouri, against the Fighting Dennis Gates squad from Missouri in the 7-vs-10 matchup in the tournament’s West Region.
Before we take a deep dive into the matchup and Miami’s tournament draw as a No. 7 seed, here’s a quick biography of Dennis Gates’s group out of the SEC.
NET Ranking: 58
KenPom: 52
Highest AP Top 25 Ranking: NR/NR
Best Wins: vs. Kentucky Wildcats, 73–68 (Jan. 8); at Texas A&M Aggies, 86–85 (Feb. 11); at Mississippi State Bulldogs, 88–64 (Feb. 28)
Worst Losses: at Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 76–71 (Dec. 2); at No. 21 Kansas Jayhawks, 80–60 (Dec. 7)
Coach: Dennis Gates (4th season)
Leading Scorer: Mark Mitchell (18.3 PPG)
Things To Know:
Picked seventh in the SEC: The panel that evaluated Dennis Gates team didn’t get much of respect in the preseason as they finished 10-8 in the SEC. The Aggies were picked to finish seventh in the SEC.
All Time Series: The Tigers leads the all-time series vs. Miami 1-0. Missouri beat the Hurricanes in 2002.
We’ll have plenty more to come in the days ahead. Until then, here’s the path:
Register today for the CIS Bracket Challenge and have the chance to win $50 dollars! Start making your picks Sunday night with selections locking in at noon EST on 3/17.
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Before we take a deep dive into the matchup and Miami’s tournament draw as a No. 7 seed, here’s a quick biography of Dennis Gates’s group out of the SEC.
(10) MISSOURI TIGERS
Record: 20-11 (10-8 SEC)NET Ranking: 58
KenPom: 52
Highest AP Top 25 Ranking: NR/NR
Best Wins: vs. Kentucky Wildcats, 73–68 (Jan. 8); at Texas A&M Aggies, 86–85 (Feb. 11); at Mississippi State Bulldogs, 88–64 (Feb. 28)
Worst Losses: at Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 76–71 (Dec. 2); at No. 21 Kansas Jayhawks, 80–60 (Dec. 7)
Coach: Dennis Gates (4th season)
Leading Scorer: Mark Mitchell (18.3 PPG)
Things To Know:
- Missouri is located in Columbia, Missouri, roughly 1,200+ miles from Coral Gables
- Missouri was founded in 1839 and is the flagship university of the state of Missouri
- Famous Missouri alums include Brad Smith, Jeremy Maclin, Chase Daniel, Aldon Smith, Sheldon Richardson, Michael Sam, and Drew Lock
- Truman the Tiger is the official mascot
- Missouri has reached the Elite Eight five times in program history
- The Tigers are coached by Dennis Gates, who took over the program in 2022
Picked seventh in the SEC: The panel that evaluated Dennis Gates team didn’t get much of respect in the preseason as they finished 10-8 in the SEC. The Aggies were picked to finish seventh in the SEC.
All Time Series: The Tigers leads the all-time series vs. Miami 1-0. Missouri beat the Hurricanes in 2002.
We’ll have plenty more to come in the days ahead. Until then, here’s the path:
Join the CIS Bracket Challenge!
Looking for the perfect spot to fill out your bracket this evening? We’ve got you covered here.Register today for the CIS Bracket Challenge and have the chance to win $50 dollars! Start making your picks Sunday night with selections locking in at noon EST on 3/17.
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