The Tigers enter the SEC Tournament as the No. 8 seed and are almost surely in the NCAA Tournament field. But what level of winning in those tournaments would be considered a successful season?
Missouri will face the winner of LSU-Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. Should LSU somehow pull of the upset, Mizzou's road to facing Florida would be made easier. Still, even though the Tigers beat Kentucky once already this year, there's no guarantee Dennis Gates and company have two wins against the Wildcats in them.
Ultimately, it feels like anything less than one win would be a failure. If Mizzou does beat LSU or Kentucky, dropping one to Florida wouldn't be a surprise, and the Tigers were already fortunate enough to steal one from the Gators. While a one-and-done, isn't exactly earth-shattering, getting bounced immediately would give Mizzou a three-game losing streak heading into the NCAA Tourney where the stakes are much higher.
Are the Tigers primed for an NCAA Tournament run?
Mizzou is likely a 10-seed based on recent projections, meaning any sort of win would technically be an upset. Still, with how this team has performed against top teams in the country, it's hard to predict which Missouri Tigers will show up.
With wins against Florida, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, Missouri has had some nice success against the current AP Top-25. But they also got demolished by Illinois, Alabama and Kansas. But despite Missouri's underdog status in the tournament, leaving without a win and on a potential four-game losing streak would leave a sour taste for the season as a whole.
On the other hand, at least win against the seven-seed is probably all it takes to feel proud of the year. It's an NCAA Tournament win, and the 2026 class is one of the best in Missouri history. There's a lot to be excited for, and ending the season on a relative high-note will keep the 'Fire Gates' squad at bay.