Missouri basketball coach Dennis Gates admits he felt fear when Mark Mitchell's turnover nearly gave Vanderbilt an improbable game-winner
Missouri and Vanderbilt proved just how much college basketball can be a game of inches, with Tyler Tanner's half-court game-winning attempt rattling in and out of the rim as time expired. However, Tanner's last-second heave should not have even happened, as Tigers head coach Dennis Gates explained to Mark Mitchell after the game.
With Missouri leading by a point with 1.8 seconds remaining, Mitchell gave Tanner and Vanderbilt a chance by committing an egregious turnover on a baseline inbounds pass. The errant pass gave Tanner a good look from half-court, which Gates admitted nearly made him pass out.
“‘Oh, s***,' because Mark threw the ball short,” Gates said after the game, via Eli Hoff of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “That's not the pass we want. Mark's parents, his dad said something. He said, ‘Son, I've got to teach you how to throw.'”
Good lord if this Vandy shot had gone in😨 pic.twitter.com/F7GQNu1AUo
— T3™️ (@T3Bracketology) February 19, 2026
Gates told reporters that Mitchell had the right idea, but threw the ball way too short. He wanted Vanderbilt's last-second heave to come from three-quarters court instead of the half-court look Tanner got.
Mitchell also threw the ball to the wrong player, with Tanner being the one Commodore Missouri last wanted to see take the final shot. Tanner led Vanderbilt with 27 points and five assists on the night. He was 2-for-5 from deep before taking the final shot of the game.
Despite the last-second scare, Missouri prevailed with a massive upset victory to keep itself in the NCAA Tournament picture. The Tigers improved to 18-8 and 8-5 in the SEC, while Vanderbilt fell to 21-5 and 8-5 in the conference.
Fifth-year senior guard Jayden Stone led Missouri with 19 points and seven rebounds while shooting 6-for-13 from the floor. The Tigers had five players in double figures, including Mitchell, who fell one assist shy of a double-double.
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