Missouri Tigers Season Preview – CBB Handicapping
Last year was a pretty good start to the Stan Haith era at Mizzou – even if it ended with a thud due to a first round exit against Norfolk State.
Missouri Tigers
SEC
2011-12 Record: 30-5
Odds to win title: +8000
Odds to win conference: +800
Key losses:
Kim English: Silky smooth wing shooter who was actually a pretty decent power forward in the Tigers unconventional lineup.
Marcus Denmon: Leading scorer was very streak but when he was on the Tigers were very tough to beat.
Ricardo Ratliffe: Lone productive inside presence was one rebounding partner away from leading the team to something special.
Top Newcomers:
Alex Oriakhi – The UConn transfer power forward has championship experience and an NBA body to bang in the post.
Keion Bell – Another transfer he was a very good scorer at Pepperdine who should fill it up on the wing for Mizzou.
Jabari Brown – A high level recruit who quickly bolted from Oregon to the Tigers. Tremendous upside if he can fit into system right away but might chafe if he needs the ball all the time.
Top Players
Phil Pressey – One of the best point guards in the country and the guy who makes the Tigers attack go.
Michael Dixon – His numbers which were good last year could explode in his senior year with a more leading role in the offense at 2 guard.
Lawrence Bower – The senior forward is coming back from an ACL injury but was a very productive system player until hurt.
The Tigers used their frenetic pace to win 30 games making Big 12 basketball must see TV in their final tour through the conference. If they thought trying to climb to the top of a conference was tough with Kansas in the way, wait till they get a look at that other blue blood K program – Kentucky.
This year there will be a lot of new faces at Mizzou. No team in the nation has more impact transfers than the Tigers and a couple of them are of the senior variety so they haven’t been on campus all that long. They are also in a new conference but one in which I think they will be able to compete from the get go. The SEC is a more defense oriented league but Mizzou has so much talent they should be able to do just fine in their debut season. [ad-6571516]
Strengths:
Last year the Tigers were loaded in the backcourt and will be again with Pressey, Dixon, Bell and Brown joined by unmentioned transfer shooting guard Earnest Ross. All Ross did was average 13ppg two years ago in the SEC at Auburn. If there is a deeper backcourt out there someone please tell me about it.
Weaknesses
The question about this year’s Tigers is how long it will take to for them to come together. Last year’s season ended prematurely and now there are a lot of new and important faces. This should be a very dangerous team because each game should improve their cohesiveness but it might look a little clunky early on. When they click look out.
Top Games
Dec 22 – The annual Bragging Rights game unaffected by the new conference affiliation (I am looking at you Kansas)
Dec 28 – Hosting the big bad Bruins of UCLA will give the nation a good idea of how good both of these teams are going to be.
Feb 23 – A visit to Kentucky should be exciting with great fast paced action.
Prediction:
This team is going to be going through a lot of different transitions this year. I like the way they are composed and think that once they get pointed in the right direction they can be fantastic. They might have less scoring but more size which will be a benefit in the new conference. Look for this team to get hot and ride it all the way to the Final Four after last season’s major disappointment. Bold.
