Missouri Basketball: Tigers are featured in prime time games

The SEC released its men’s basketball television schedule on Wednesday, and Missouri will see plenty of air time both on the court and on TV.

While Missouri won’t be featured in a lot of prime time matchups, the Tigers will still have at least a few moments in the spotlight of prime television.

Aside from eight prime time games, the Tigers will be televised (as of now) in 18 games nationally on CBS, SEC Network, and any of the ESPN networks.

While the Tigers’ chances of doing anything meaningful on the gridiron have fans in a state of disbelief, the basketball program certainly looks to have turned things around in less than a year.

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On CBS, Missouri will host two games, one on Jan. 6 vs. Florida, and Feb. 3 vs. Kentucky. Last year, despite an eight-win record, the Tigers had the Wildcats on the ropes until late in the game.

ESPN will televise the Tigers’ game against Texas A&M on Feb. 13, which will be a great birthday present for yours truly.

The following lineups could go to either ESPN or ESPN2: Jan. 20 at Texas A&M, Feb. 10 against Mississippi State, Feb. 17 at LSU, Feb. 24 at Kentucky, Feb. 27 at Vanderbilt, and March 3 against Arkansas.

ESPN2 will host the Tigers’ games on Jan. 3 at South Carolina, Jan. 10 against Georgia, Jan. 13 at Arkansas, Jan. 31 at Alabama, and Feb. 20 against Ole Miss.

SEC Network will host games on Jan. 17 against Tennessee, Jan. 24 against Auburn, Jan. 27 at Mississippi State, and Feb. 6 at Ole Miss.

Last year, Missouri handed in a worse final record (8-24) than the year before (10-21) – not that either are good records. Clearly, it was time for a change, and on paper, head coach Cuonzo Martin has assembled an impressive team of recruits.

Next: Predicting the rest of Missouri's season

I fully expect Missouri to earn its first NCAA Tournament seeding since the 2012-13 season, under former head coach Frank Haith. That year, the Tigers finished with an overall record of 23-11 (11-7 SEC).