As Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates celebrated his 45th birthday on Tuesday, his squad put a bow on his day, surviving a late scare in an 83-82 win over No. 5 Florida (15-2, 2-2) in Gainesville. The Tigers have now won three consecutive SEC contests, earning their first conference road win since March 1, 2023, at LSU.

After a massive offensive output in the first half, Missouri basketball held off a Florida comeback to stun the top-five-ranked Gators in Gainesville.

The Tigers as a team to that point had been 7-of-16 from the stripe in the second half as its big lead had frittered and faded.  Now, Grill — who had been the architect of many of the moments that allowed Mizzou to even compete for an upset Tuesday in Gainesville — was a staring at the basket 15 feet ahead of him for oh-so-much more than a just a plain-ol’ win.