USA Today released its preseason basketball Coaches Poll, and of course, the Missouri Tigers were nowhere to be found. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Following what has been the best recruiting season in the history of Missouri basketball, one would think that Mizzou would have at least cracked the top-25, but they didn’t.
I’m not saying that the Tigers should even be ranked top 10 or top 5. To get rated that highly, they should have to prove they’re worthy of such. That said, I’m also not conceding that the Tigers should make the top 25, “just because.”
What I think matters, but may or may not to the voters, is newly hired head coach Cuonzo Martin took over a program that was on life support, and so far, brought it back from the dead.
Missouri Tigers Basketball
Within a month, Martin secured the services of the No. 1 (or No. 2, depending on which publication you read) recruit in the country, in Michael Porter, Jr. Did he do it on his own? Yes and no. We all know that MPJ would still be in Washington, had Lorenzo Romar not been fired, and Michael Porter, Sr. not been let go, as a result.
By mid-summer, Martin also secured the services of raw-but-extremely talented Jontay Porter, who was also a Washington commit. In between picking up the Porter family, he also landed Jeremiah Tilmon, Blake Harris, CJ Roberts and graduate transfer Kassius Robertson.
In a span of less than six months, Missouri went from being a walking joke, to having the fourth-ranked recruiting class of 2017, nationally. If Martin was able to assemble this much talent in an offseason, then the Tigers shouldn’t be far from making the top 25, at least.
I expect that the voting is based on merit, as well. Suffice to say, Mizzou did not have anywhere near the number of wins as the program ranked in the top 25, but the Tigers secured 35 votes, which is a start.
Next: Michael Porter, Jr. considering second year
At the end of the day, unlike football’s preseason top-25, seeding may not have an effect on whether Missouri makes the NCAA tourney in March. So, while the Tigers, if they were any good, would be jockeying for bowl position and the ever elusive championship, this poll doesn’t have that type of effect.