After leading University of Missouri men’s basketball to a 2-0 week, including the program’s fifth win over the nation’s No. 1 team, senior Tamar Bates collected Southeastern Conference Player of the Week accolades, announced on Monday.
In victories over California in the SEC/ACC Challenge and No. 1 Kansas in the Border War, Bates averaged 22.0 points and 4.0 steals per game, shooting 59.2 percent from the field.
After tallying 15 points versus Cal, Bates had his best game of the season in the win over Mizzou’s Border War rival. Against the top-ranked Jayhawks, Bates tallied 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 2-of-5 from the 3-point range and 9-of-9 from the free-throw line. He also matched a career-best with five steals, becoming just the third player in the last 50 seasons to have 25 points and five steals in a win versus the No. 1 team – joining UCLA’s Reggie Miller in 1986 and West Virginia’s Jaysean Paige in 2016.
Overall, Bates keyed the Tigers first win over the nation’s top-ranked team since 1997 and fifth overall in program history. Mizzou also posted victories over No. 1 Oklahoma in 1989, Kansas twice in 1990 and the Jayhawks again in 1997.
Bates has led the Tigers throughout the 2024-25 campaign as Mizzou is currently on an eight-game winning streak. In nine contests overall, Bates is averaging a team-best 14.1 points per game to go with 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals. He is also shooting 54.2 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from the 3-point line and 95.8 percent from the free-throw line during his senior campaign.
The weekly honor is the first for Bates during his career. He also received March Madness National Player of the Week honors and was named to Dickie V’s Weekly Stars.
Fresh off the two wins this week, the Tigers return to action this weekend, tipping off at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning against LIU.
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