Missouri looks to build on bounceback season with top recruiting class and key transfers
Missouri (22-12, 10-8 SEC)
The Tigers bounced back from a disastrous second season under Dennis Gates, when they went 0-for-everything in the SEC, to make the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Drake in the first round. It was a tough ending to a season in which they climbed as high as No. 14 in the AP Top 25. Caleb Grill and several others from that team are gone, but Mark Mitchell is back along with one of the nation’s top recruiting classes.
Players to watch
Sebastian Mack transferred into Missouri from UCLA, where he averaged 12.1 points as a freshman before taking a small step back last season. He should provide some experience and scoring in the backcourt alongside Mitchell, whose inside-outside ability makes him difficult to defend. He averaged a team-best 13.9 points last season.
Departures and arrivals
Grill averaged 13.7 points and Tamar Bates, who also graduated, averaged 13.3. They are the biggest losses, though Peyton Marshall’s decision to transfer to Georgia Tech and Aidan Shaw’s departure for Boston College hurt their depth in the paint.
Shawn Phillips, a transfer from Arizona State, is just about the only interior player with power conference experience on the roster. Freshman forward Nicholas Randall, who played at AZ Compass Prep, could provide some help in the post, while Aaron Rowe is a four-star freshman who will be trying to earn playing time on the perimeter.
Top games
Missouri has a relatively easy non-conference slate, especially early on, when a trip to Howard on Nov. 3 is followed by seven straight home games. The Tigers play Notre Dame in the ACC-SEC Challenge, then face No. 19 Kansas in the Border War, and they wrap up non-league play against No. 17 Illinois on Dec. 22 in the Braggin’ Rights game.
The soft non-conference schedule is followed by a tough start to SEC play. The Tigers face No. 3 Florida on Jan. 3, visit No. 9 Kentucky and Ole Miss, then return home to play No. 20 Auburn. Things get easier after that stretch, but facing No. 14 Arkansas twice in the last three weeks of the season is a tough task.
Facts and figures
Missouri has not had back-to-back winning seasons since 2012-13 and ’13-14, their first two in the SEC, back when Frank Haith was the coach. They are on their third coach since. … The Tigers lost five of their last six and six of their last eight last season. Their only win after Feb. 25 came against Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
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