Missouri Tigers not favored to win SEC basketball championship
On the same day the Missouri Tigers didn’t crack the preseason Coaches Poll, they also weren’t projected to win the men’s basketball SEC Championship.
For the most part, this is a similar diatribe from yesterday’s post, when the Tigers received 35 votes, but did not land in the top 25 of the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll.
The difference being, this is a microcosm of the NCAA as a whole, and Missouri still finds itself in the middle of the pack with a projected finish at No. 5.
Earlier this year, I wrote a post which stated, this year will be tough sledding for Mizzou from the outside. I think on the court, the Tigers have a lot to show and prove, and while the going will probably get tough at times, this team will be far superior and improved over that of the last three years.
Missouri Tigers Basketball
Fortunately, championships and games aren’t won in the polls. If they were, then there wouldn’t be much point in playing games.
I predict that by January, if not sooner, Missouri will find itself flying up the rankings, and somewhere in the top 15. Possibly underrated, but we have to keep in mind, that until the Tigers prove they’re winners, everyone else will vote the programs with recently proven histories.
The reason for that improvement starts at the top in Athletic Director Jim Sterk and head coach Cuonzo Martin, who assembled a fourth-ranked nationally Tigers team in one offseason, in recruiting.
In the 247Sports.com composite, only three SEC teams ranked in the top 10 – two, Kentucky and Mizzou, in the top 5. Duke came in first, and Kentucky placed second.
In 2016, Missouri gave Kentucky a good fight, and came close to winning, before the Wildcats pulled away. With a different coaching staff, more talented personnel and a different game plan, the Tigers could be looking at a win.
Next: Tigers overlooked in preseason Coaches Poll
Right now, Kentucky is favored to win the SEC, but I have a good feeling that Missouri will give the Wildcats their toughest challenge, and just might steal the championship away from the Wildcats. Don’t sleep on the Tigers, this year.