Gates Benching Stone in SEC Tournament Sparks Intrigue

0:00On March 14, Missouri's Jaden Stone had a quiet night in Thursday's second round SEC Tournament game against Kentucky at Bridgestone Arena. The graduate senior guard started strong with a three-pointer on the opening possession and added a layup late in the first half, but struggled to. Build on that. With 14 minutes and 47 seconds left in the second half and the Tigers trailing by 14 points, head coach Dennis Gates pulled Stone from the game. He stayed on the bench for the rest of the match-up. Stone wrapped up which has five points on two or five shooting, along with seven rebounds, one assist and two turnovers. As the key starter for Missouri, the early hook raised eyebrows among fans. No word yet on why Gates made the call or if it affected Team Chemistry, but the Tigers were fighting to stay alive in the tournament. That decision could linger as Missouri pushes forward in the SEC playoffs.