The Tigers are mostly safe as far as an NCAA Tournament bid goes, but with several conference tournaments still wrapping up, they are by no means a shoe-in. Right now, Joe Lunardi has Missouri as one of his last four teams in the field, meaning a few upsets here and there could quickly bump the Tigers off the bubble and on to the couch.
Power Mizzou highlighted three big games to watch for the Tigers, so let's take a look at how each team could help, or hurt, Missouri's tournament dreams.
St. Louis
St. Louis and VCU are the two likely A-10 bids, but if the Billikins stumble in the conference semi-finals today, they may take another valuable bubble spot away from the Tigers. Should Dayton or Saint Joesph's go on to win the A-10 tourney, there will likely be three bids from the conferecne instead of just two, putting Missouri's odds of getting one of the last few spots in jeopardy.
Utah State
Utah State will face San Diego in the Mountain West Championship tonight, and a win will give them an automatic bid. San Diego State may already have a bubble spot, but a loss would make their chances take a big dip. However, if the Aztecs earn the automatic bid, Utah State would then jump to a bubble spot at 27-7, again possibly taking away one of the few precious slots away from the Tigers. Mizzou fans should want a Utah State automatic bid and the Aztecs booted off of the bubble.
Ole Miss
Ole Miss is a stunning Cinderella in the SEC Tournament, and will face Arkansas in the semi-final today. Should they take it all the way and win the crown, they'll make the tournament as an automatic qualifier at just 17-19 overall, again taking away a spot from a bubble team like Mizzou. While it's unlikely, anything can happen in March.