ST. LOUIS — Missouri basketball had one of the weakest non-conference schedules amongst all power-conference schools in the 2025-26 season, with the Tigers only playing in four games against power-conference opponents. Out of those four, two were a part of long-term rivalry agreements, while another was a part of the ACC-SEC Challenge. Throughout the season, head coach Dennis Gates maintained that he was satisfied with the strength of the non-conference schedule. "There's a lot of teams that have over scheduled," Gates said in a press conference on Dec. 10, 2025. "I don't care how you look at it, I'm not going to over schedule." But going forward, Gates might be looking to schedule a tougher non-conference slate. The main reason for the change of philosophy is the expectation that the NCAA Tournament field will expand from 68 to 76 teams, a process that is reportedly in the final steps, per ESPN.…