After a cupcake non-conference schedule, Missouri was struggling early on in their SEC games. Despite impressive wins against Florida and Kentucky, the Tigers dropped three of their next four, and were in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament. Now, though, Dennis Gates and Mizzou have won six of their last eight since their 26-point loss to Alabama, and almost certainly secured a spot in the field of 68 after their demolition of Mississippi State.
The Tigers' 88-64 win over the Bulldogs virtually cemented their spot in the NCAA Tournament, something that as of even a few weeks ago was very much in the air. After the Alabama loss, the Tigers were just 14-7 overall, and 4-4 in the SEC, and were shaping up for a disappointing finish. But Gates and the Tigers made some crucial changes that made all the difference.
Missouri is a completely new team from even a few weeks ago
From a coaching standpoint, Gates has tinkered with the lineup for a majority of the season. From Jacob Crews to Anthony Robinson II to T.O Barrett, Gates has worked hard to identify what works best. His move to make Barrett the starting point guard may have been the single biggest turning point of the whole season.
Beyond Gates' efforts, the Tigers have started playing their best ball down the stretch. The dreaded free throw shooting is better, up over 10 percent over the last four games. Trent Burns, who had be an afterthought for most of the year, has become one of the Tigers biggest assets off the bench over the last few weeks. The 7-foot-5 big man has averaged 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17 minutes per game over the last four games.
Most of all, Missouri has put aside injuries, bad losses (Illinois cough cough), and more to become one of the better teams in the conference at the moment. There's not a single team in the tournament that will be happy to draw the Tigers in round one.