Missouri ended the season with yet another disppointing exit in the NCAA Tournement, and with multiple starters out of eligibility, the Tigers will look much different in 2026.
Mizzou is losing Mark Mitchell, Jayden Stone, Jacob Crews and Shawn Phillips Jr., and will need to find some serious talent in the transfer portal to replace all that production. An exciting freshman class headlined by five-star recruit Jason Crowe will help to ease that burden a bit, but there's no question that Dennis Gates and company need to win the portal.
Here are three postions Mizzou will need to target.
Playmaking Guard
Jason Crowe will come in ready to rip, and will need another guard alongside him to take some pressure off of the freshman guard. Anthony Robison II and T.O. Barrett, should they return, are solid guys who both seem better fit for a rotational role, leaving Mizzou needing a playmaker across from Crowe. Missouri just didn't get consistent enough guard play this past season to make a deep run in the postseason. Crowe will bring some serious scoring ability, but he'll need a Robin to his Batman.
3 -and-D Wing
Trent Pierce is the ideal option here if Mizzou can convince him to stay, but there's no guarantee he'll stick around. Pierce was an impressive 48% from the field and 38% from three, and if he could improve some on defense, he's an set it and forget it starter. However, the Tigers still need to add a lot more shooting than they had this year. If Crowe is driving, he's going to be kicking, and Mizzou better have somebody standing beyond the arc who can hit the shot. The Tigers were 112th in three-point percentage this past year.
Rim Protector
It's clear that Trent Burns isn't ready to jump into a significantly bigger role yet, so the Tigers will be looking for a starting center in the portal. With some dynamic guards, Mizzou won't necessarily need a ton of scoring from their frontcourt, but they better get some elite defense and rebounding. Missouri was 140th in total rebounding, and adding a big shot-blocking center who can clean the glass would be a perfect addition for Gates.