Mizzou basketball’s Tre Gomillion likely to miss Iowa State game

Missouri basketball will likely be shorthanded on Saturday, when it plays Iowa State at Mizzou Arena. Head coach Dennis Gates said he does not expect Tre Gomillion to play in the renewal of an old Big Eight rivalry.

Gomillion missed the Tigers’ Tuesday matchup against Ole Miss with a groin injury, and was listed as day-to-day. According to Gates, his status is always subject to change.

“Right now it’s a no,” Gates said during a press conference on Friday. “I’ll say that, I’m not afraid to say that. Right now it’s a now, but again, that can change. I didn’t expect to have Kobe (Brown) until we played or he warmed up 30 minutes before the game.”

Brown was a game-time decision for Missouri’s win at Ole Miss on Tuesday. He missed the previous game, a loss to Alabama, with an ankle injury he sustained in a win over Arkansas.

The Tigers have had a string of unavailable players in recent games, for unrelated reasons. Noah Carter and Mabor Majak both missed the Arkansas game due to being in health and safety protocols, while Kaleb Brown was out against Alabama with a non-COVID illness.

Before the Ole Miss game, Gomillion had started the previous nine contests for the Tigers. The Cleveland State transfer was averaging 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.

“I want to make sure I preserve the integrity of our team for the big picture and not just short-term,” Gates said. “If it was up to Tre, he would have probably played every game and never missed one, that’s the type of mentality he has. I have to intervene and make a decision for the team, so we’ll see.”

Missouri and Iowa State’s matchup is part of the SEC/Big 12 challenge. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday and will be aired on ESPN2.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri basketball: Tre Gomillion likely to miss Iowa State game