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Now that all of those MIZ-ZOUs bellowed during last weekend’s big basketball win over the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks have finally stopped echoing all across the state, how about three cheers for patience?

Dennis Gates and his Tigers are two take-care-of-business wins (Long Island University and Jackson State) away from showing up in ��ѿ��ý for their Braggin’ Rights showdown against Illinois with a record of 10-1.

Their lone loss is a season-opening stumble at Memphis in an eight-point defeat. Penny Hardaway’s Tigers later stunned second-ranked Connecticut. It’s what the bracketologists will later call a “good loss.”

Since then Gates’ team has mostly pummeled the overmatched opponents it’s supposed to bully, stormed back for a thrilling win in a bonkers second half against California and, of course, invited all of Boone County down to Norm Stewart Court to celebrate a stunner.

Long way to go, and the SEC is talented and tough, but the good vibes from Gates’ first season, which included an NCAA Tournament win, are back again. Last season? Fortunately, folks can begin to forget about that.

It’s a really good thing the powers at Mizzou decided to take the patient road. Call that one a win for the system’s board of curators, who focused on beefing up football and finding the right athletics director in Laird Veatch. There were no whispers of worry about Gates. Some coaches would have faced significant heat after not winning a single conference game. Gates, other than the predictable social media scorn, got a lot of good will headed into his third season. It helped, and he made the most out of it.

Gates didn’t lose waves of players to the transfer portal. He didn’t lose key recruits in his highly ranked freshman class. He didn’t struggle to go out and get big additions in the portal to add more athleticism and depth to his roster. He didn’t have to battle damaging speculation about doubts from up above. He kept working. His players kept believing. Fans, for the most part, held the line. Now? There’s proof the patience worked.

But I do want to bring up last season one last time. I think I’m seeing it a little more clearly now. When some I know pointed to the injuries to Caleb Grill and John Tonje as what derailed that team, I used to kind of roll my eyes. Now, I’m not so sure. Here’s why.

Grill dropped 33 points against Eastern Washington and 25 points against Pacific earlier this young season before a scary neck injury sidelined him again, hopefully not for too long. He’s averaging 13.6 points per game while shooting an absurd 55.3 percent from deep. Yeah, this team could have used a lot of that — and not just his intense defense — last season. Most of Grill’s 3-point attempts seem to go in without touching the net.

I’m guessing most have lost track of Tonje, but check this out. After scoring 41 in Wisconsin’s win against then No. 9 Arizona and 33 in the Badgers’ takedown of Pitt, he’s now averaging 21 points a game for No. 20 Wisconsin. Think that would have helped Mizzou last season? Me too.

While it would have been nice to see Tonje decide to use his bonus year of eligibility at Mizzou instead of somewhere else, his departure was not shocking. His foot injury fouled up his Mizzou experience. Things can get messy when guys get hurt. That story plays out at colleges across the country every year. What’s crystal clear now is this. Gates saw talent, recognized it and had a sleeper SEC contributor who, through bad luck more than anything, delivered just four starts.

Put a healthy Grill and a healthy Tonje on last season’s Mizzou team, and last season’s Mizzou team looks different. I don’t know if those Tigers would have made the NCAA Tournament, but I know they would not have gone winless in SEC play.

Now back to this season.

Mizzou beating Kansas was ceiling-lifting. That the Tigers did it without Grill? Perhaps telling. And not because this team doesn’t need Grill out there. It appears this team, compared to last season’s, is a lot deeper and a lot more athletic. Six different Tigers have provided a game’s lead scoring. Five different Tigers have provided a game’s lead rebounding. Four different Tigers have provided a game’s lead assists. For opponents, that can be a nightmare. Especially if some of these young Tigers, like Anthony Robinson II, keep growing.

The Tigers should soon be rolling toward ��ѿ��ý for Braggin’ Right’s while riding a 10-game winning streak. Better than a number next to their names would be a sweep of their non-conference rivals. It’s not crazy to think it could happen, thanks to patience well practiced.