Tigers Look to Add Another Transfer

Next year’s Missouri basketball team should be littered with transfers.

Already, Jabari Brown (formerly of Oregon), Earnest Ross (Auburn), Keion Bell (Pepperdine), and Danny Feldman (Columbia) fill out a large portion of the roster. But the Tigers are hoping to land one more transfer that could improve their outlook drastically, Alex Oriakhi.

Oriakhi was a starting forward for the Connecticut Huskies, averaging 6.7 points a game and 1.3 block a game. Oriakhi was also a key player in the Huskies’ 2011 national championship run. With Oriakhi, Missouri would have the size and defensive presence inside that they sorely missed last season.

However, the Tigers aren’t the only ones fighting for Oriakhi’s talents. The frontrunners appear to be the Tigers and the Kentucky Wildcats. Both fanbases have reasons to believe that Oriakhi will play for their team.

Kentucky is always considered a top destination by recruits and is coming off a national championship victory. Plus, Oriakhi attended the same high school as new Kentucky recruit Nerlens Noel, the #1 high school player in the country, who has been trying hard to get Oriakhi to become a Wildcat.

However, Oriakhi has stated he wants to go to a team that has a weakness in the frontcourt, which describes the Tigers perfectly. Oriakhi is also known to be close friends with Missouri point guard Phil Pressey, and Pressey has also been trying hard to get Oriakhi to play with him.

He will visit Missouri sometime this weekend and is scheduled to visit Kentucky on April 20. Most believe he will make his decision by the end of the month.