#Mizzou junior PG Phil Pressey is declaring for the NBA Draft and signing with Creative Artists Agency.

— Steve Walentik (@Steve_Walentik) April 10, 2013

Pressey averaged 11.9 points and 7 assists per game this season, and was named first-team All-SEC.  Pressey will leave Mizzou as the all-time leader in assists, with 580 career assists in three years.

In a statement, Pressey said, “I love my teammates, my coaches, Mike Alden and all of our fans, and I’m so glad I had the chance to play for coach Haith these last two years. He had such a big impact on my career and because of that relationship I will help Missouri basketball anyway I can going forward.

“I wish we could have brought home a national championship banner, but coming to Mizzou was the best decision of my life. This is a special place and I will always be a Tiger.”

Draftexpress.com has Pressey being selected in the mid-second round, and ESPN’s Chad Ford list Pressey as the No. 81 ranked player on his big board.

Pressey’s departure at Mizzou, leaves Jabari Brown as the only returning starter for the Tigers.  Mizzou’s 6th man, Earnest Ross, will also be returning for the 2013-2014 season, and the Tigers will be adding Tulsa transfer, Jordan Clarkson, who should slide into the starting lineup.

Photo from mutigers.com

Temperatures have been unseasonably cold this March in Mid-Missouri.  We are less than a week away from April and we still have snow on the ground and temperatures are struggling to get out of the 30′s. It’s not the weather were used to seeing in early Spring and it definitely doesn’t feel like baseball season. Unfortunately one thing that might be even colder than the weather, are the bats for the Missouri Tigers baseball team.

The Tigers have struggled in the early going of the 2013 season, and their biggest weakness has been their hitting. Mizzou is only hitting .240 as a team through 20 games this season, which ranks dead last in the SEC. They also rank last in the SEC in runs scored, home runs, RBI’s, walks, and on-base percentage.

The offensive woes for Missouri has them sitting at 8-12 overall and 2-4 in the SEC. The Tigers join Florida and Georgia, as the only other SEC teams to have a below .500 record overall. The Tigers only have two players on their roster that are currently hitting over .300.

Dane Opel and Dylan Kelly have been the only bright spots in Mizzou’s lineup. Opel is hitting .358 with 2 homers and 11 RBI’s, and Kelly is hitting .354 and also has 11 RBI’s. The remainder of the Missouri Tigers are all hitting below .275.

Mizzou’s pitching staff has been pretty solid over the last couple weeks. The Tigers rank 9th in the SEC with a 3.28 ERA, but they have a 2.92 ERA in six SEC games. Ace, Rob Zastryzny, has also improved since posting a 6.25 ERA in his first two starts. Zastryzny is 1-4 and has improved his ERA to 4.05. Rob leads the team in strikeouts with 31, and he’s only walked 12 batters in 33.1 innings. Zastryzny has a 2.78 ERA and 24 strikeouts in his last 3 starts.

The Tigers have struggled on the road this year, losing 8 of 9 games, but they are 7-4 at home. The Tigers return to Taylor Stadium this week when they host Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday and the No. 2 ranked LSU Tigers this weekend. Temperatures are supposed to warm up this weekend, so get out there and support Mizzou baseball at Taylor Stadium.

Where:  Lexington, KY

TV:  TBS

Line: Mizzou -2.5

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Missouri Tigers will play in their 5th straight NCAA Tournament starting on Thursday. The Tigers received a No. 9 seed and will take on the No. 8 seed Colorado State Rams in Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY.

The Rams are led by a familiar coach to Mizzou fans.  Ex-Iowa State head coach, Larry Eustachy, is in his first season at Colorado State and will be making his fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament in 22 years.

Colorado State enters the NCAA Tournament at 23-8, and are 8-4 in their last 12 games. The Rams key wins are against UNLV, Boise State, and San Diego State. They are 3-7 against teams ranked in the Top 50 of the RPI. Colorado State’s only non-conference game against a Top 50 team, was a 70-61 loss at Colorado.

Senior, Colton Iverson, is the player to watch for the Rams. Iverson leads the team averaging 14.7 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game. He shoots 59.9% from the field. Another key player for Colorado State is a Lawrence, KS native, Dorian Green. Green averages 12.8 points and leads the team with 3.8 assists per game.

The Tigers are 23-10 and 7-5 in their last 12 games. Mizzou is 4-5 against teams ranked in the Top 50 of the RPI, with wins against VCU, Illinois, Ole Miss, and Florida. The Tigers are 11-3 on a neutral court under Frank Haith. The Tigers 5th straight trip to an NCAA Tournament, ties a school record and is the current longest streak in the SEC.

Missouri is the only major college basketball team that has 6 players averaging over 10 points per game. Laurence Bowers leads the Tigers with 14.4 points per game, but Phil Pressey will be the most important player for the Tigers this week. He averages 11.6 points per game and 7.1 assists. He’s only shooting 37.6% from the field and has really struggled from behind the arc. If the Tigers are going to win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament then they will need a good performance from Pressey. The Tigers have plenty of guys that can score, but this team goes as Pressey goes.

The winner of this game will most likely play Louisville, who is the No. 1 overall seed. The Tigers played Louisville earlier this season in the Bahamas and lost 84-61. Mizzou played that game without Jabari Brown.

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