By Austin Ward

The pipe dream of MPJ coming back to Mizzou for his sophomore season, is gone, as if it was ever there to begin with. His season was injury-riddled and he didn't nearly accomplish what we had all hoped he would. Even so, to say he didn't contribute to Mizzou in any way is incredibly ignorant. MPJ made Mizzou basketball fun again. And for that, we should be forever thankful.

First off, there was not a single chance in hell MPJ was coming back next season. Why would he? Why risk another injury for a second year at college when you can go roll in big cash with a big, juicy rookie contract in the NBA? The only thing I wish is that he handled it a little bit better. 

Throughout the entire season, the story was, "I'm still considering coming back." News flash, he was never considering coming back. If MPJ really cared about attaining his stated collegiate goals, there's no question he would be back next year. The team under-performed, they didn't meet expectations, and they suffered upset losses in the first round of the SEC and NCAA Tournament. 

Of course he can't come out and admit he's going one and done, but you can definitely word things differently. "I'm focused on rehabbing my back and helping my team this year," would've done no harm to anyone. 

So what did MPJ actually give the university? I mean he only played two minutes in the opening game and then struggled in both postseason games. But that wasn't his contribution. Without MPJ coming to Mizzou, Jontay would not be here. Jontay went from being in high school to a projected first round draft pick in one season. 

Without MPJ, recruiting wouldn't have had nearly as much momentum. Blake Harris at Mizzou wouldn't have been a thing without MPJ. That didn't go well, but it still needs to be noted. Remember when we actually thought we had a shot at landing Kevin Knox? Without MPJ, that's not a possibility. 

Mizzou Arena was packed for nearly every game this season. Without MPJ and the excitement he built for the season early on, that doesn't happen. Mizzou basketball was fun to follow this year. It ended on a sad note, but at least we cared. Mizzou basketball has been a dumpster fire for the last five years. To finally be a little relevant again, can we really be all that mad?

Let's give MPJ his credit. Getting injured wasn't his fault. Tears streamed down his face after falling to Florida State. The kid cared. He didn't provide what we all wanted on the court. Who knows what this season could've looked like if he did. He spiked recruiting, he filled Mizzou Arena, and he brought relevancy back to this program that probably didn't deserve it. Thank you, MPJ. Go make that money in the NBA. I'll be rooting for you.

A favorite topic among Mizzou fans during the dreary doldrums of recruiting season, is Mizzou's ability to "lock down the borders" of our own state. This has intensified during the Barry Odom era, as there is a growing perception that Coach Odom struggles to retain Missouri's top talent at Missouri's top football school. The 2018 class in particular led to increased scrutiny on the Mizzou coaching staff's ability to lure great players to stay close to home. While the 2019 in-state recruiting class doesn't pack the marquee names and cornucopia of star ratings that last year's did, if Coach Odom can't secure some of the best Missouri high school players again this year, it will further damage his reputation as a local recruiter.

From the 30,000 feet view that most fans take, recruiting in Missouri means recruiting in St. Louis and Kansas City. Most recruiting experts focus on these cities as well, and rightfully so. A significant majority of the best players in the state come from these two metro areas. But with so many of the state's best players seeking greener pastures in Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and the like, perhaps there's another angle of attack that the Odom administration hasn't pursued.

Since 2010, there have been 37 players ranked in Missouri's top-20 players that hail from smaller towns dotted across the state. Perhaps the key to Odom and company locking down the borders, could start in the shadow of the myriad grain silos and Dollar Generals that dot the Show-Me State.

But is it worth the time and Joe Machens' donated mileage for the Mizzou coaching staff to seek out these diamonds in the rough. A little research and some focused strategy says, "yes". Of the football prospects that fall outside of Missouri's two largest metro areas, since 2010, all of them could be found in fewer than 20 towns, and of those only three towns produced three or more top-20 in-state prospects. 

The first place to look is in our own backyard. Columbia has produced 10 football prospects since 2010, ranging from three to four stars. In that time, the Tigers have only secured two players; Wesley Leftwich and Tre Williams, with Rock Bridge star Nathaniel Peat yet to decide where he'll commit during this cycle. 

Obviously, recruiting in your own backyard is a different beast than recruiting far afield. Some young players prefer to move away for college. Sometimes, increased exposure clouds your judgement. Sometimes a player isn't the right fit and isn't recruited vigorously. But of the ten CoMo players that were ranked among the state's top-20, nearly all have gone to Division One schools. Is it not worth a trip down Rangeline Street to nab the players who have otherwise gone to Oklahoma, Oregon, Nebraska, and Colorado?

Jefferson City and Florissant have also produced three or more top-20 players since 2010, and four-star prospects have come from the likes of Bolivar, New Madrid, Potosi, Wentzville, and the infamous five-star recruit Dorial Green-Beckham came from Springfield.

Other universities have recognized the potential in these rural athletes. Florida State snagged Roderick Johnson from Florissant in 2014. Alabama grabbed Hale Hentges from Jefferson City in 2015. Mississippi State took Alec Murphy from Nixa in 2015. If these programs can notice talented players who come from towns where the Friday Night Lights are a little dimmer, there's no reason that Barry Odom's staff can't do the same.

This is not to suggest that the lion's share of the in-state recruiting effort shouldn't be done in and around St. Louis and Kansas City. Some years, there are only one or two rural players even worth recruiting. But in 2010, eight players came from more rural areas. In 2016, nine players came from outside Missouri's two cities. If you're struggling to find a toehold in your own state, making a run at smaller schools in smaller towns, has its advantages.

Mizzou only landed one of its vaunted "Show-Me Ten" last off-season. The pool is more shallow this off-season, and Columbia's Peat is the only non-urban player in the top-20 of Missouri's best players. But as the years progress, keeping the next Roderick Johnson at home in Missouri sounds like a pretty damn good idea.

​The roller coaster ride of Mizzou Basketball has reached the home stretch. Cuonzo Martin has led a lineup of players that has been in constant flux since the day Michael Porter Jr. scored his first collegiate basket against Iowa State (future Mizzou trivia question). He has led a team that managed only eight wins last season. He has led a team full of freshmen and transfers. Ultimately, he led a team to 20 wins and an NCAA Tournament berth. Martin has done a hell of a job that won't fully be appreciated until the ink is dry on this season's Wikipedia page.

From the time Kim Anderson was given his walking papers up to today, through all of the turmoil, excitement, and frustration, we are now looking at a team depleted of guards, missing a key senior leader and starter, and featuring a fresh but rusty first round NBA draft pick (and possibly two). Where does that leave us? The only part of that answer we know for sure is we're left with a #8 seed in the West bracket of the NCAA tournament.

The Tigers and their shaky lineup of talented youth will take on Florida State, a team with many similarities to our beloved Tigers. The Seminoles scratched out a 20 win season filled with impressive wins and embarrassing defeats. They're a team with impressive big men who are stingy defenders near the rim. They're a bubble-type team who was shaky down the stretch. All qualities that Mizzou fans should be quite familiar with.

The most important question about this team though is, how do they match up against Mizzou on Friday? My answer might surprise you. I believe the Tigers match up surprisingly well against their round one opponent.

Mizzou's biggest weakness right now is lack of reliable guard play, but an odd counter to this is that the Tigers can be a particularly deadly threat from outside. The reason for this has been the caliber of outside shooting forwards that Mizzou throws at opponents. This will be somewhat mitigated by the (hopefully) temporary loss of Barnett, but the tall and talented Porters are both deadly threats from outside on any given night, and under normal circumstances, Kassius Robertson is as good a sharp shooter as anyone in the nation (Georgia game aside).

Florida State forces its opponents to take those outside shots by ferociously defending the rim. Junior center Christ Koumadje goes 7'4"! That imposing force down low has earned him the nickname "Christ, he's big! Freshman center Ike Obiagu tags in at 7'0" meaning Florida State nearly always has a seven-footer down low waiting to swat away ill-advised and out-of-control Geist dashes to the rim.

​Offensively, the Tigers have to contend with star guard/small forward Terance Mann, who specializes in attacking the rim with a vengeance. My personal contention is that Missouri is most vulnerable on defense when matched up against smooth shooting guards who drain open looks from outside. Mann prefers the brute force attack. If we can keep Tilmon healthy down low, and if Jontay keeps up his impressive ability to swat away shots, the Tigers look to hold Florida State scoring in check.
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The big wild card in this whole mess has less to do with Florida State and more to do with Mizzou. I'm talking of course about Michael Porter Jr. We saw his return in the SEC Tournament but the version we saw was apprehensive and tight. He put in 12 points but took and missed too many shots. The assumption is that he will continue to improve but how much rust can he knock off after just one game? It's anybody's guess, but his return should do wonders to salve otherwise fatal losses of Van Leer and Barnett so late in the season.

My prediction is that Tiger fans will witness another in a long line of competitive yet frustrating games, full of streaks of brilliance punctuated by inexplicable shooting droughts. Ultimately, I think the Tigers' talent and accumen from outside prevails and Mizzou wins an ugly one 74-68. MPJ leading the Tigers to the second round of the NCAAs should be enough to leave every tiger fan feeling satisfied when reading this season's Wikipedia page. Should the team add more to the story...well that's all just gravy, kids.

By Eric Hollenbach

What a year it’s been, huh? This time last year, we were jauntily celebrating a Kevin Puryear buzzer- beater that helped Mizzou escape the basement in both SEC regular season and the conference tournament. We all knew what was going to happen and the clutch three from KP only delayed the inevitable. Kim Anderson would be relieved of his head coaching duties and Mizzou would again be looking for a competent basketball coach after slogging through the worst three-year stretch in Men’s Basketball history.

You all know the story of what happened in the months to come, so I won’t re-hash it for you here. I only bring up the past because it serves as a helpful reminder when watching the 2017-18 team wind down their season. In case you forgot, this team won eight games last year and 27 total during the KA reign.

Woof!

Keep that in mind on Selection Sunday. Keep that in mind when thinking about the SEC tourney loss to Georgia. Keep that in mind after the final horn has sounded on Mizzou’s season. We weren’t supposed to be here. Certainly not this soon, even with a healthy, all-world talent.

I know it’s hard. Trust me, I’ve been a masochistic Mizzou fan for the last 28 years. We forget how utterly bad those last three years were that when this team even sprinkles a little hope of success, we are instantly furious when things don’t go our way immediately.

It was hard to reign in our excitement when MPJ brought his family (both traditional and extended) to Columbia. Fraught with above-the-rim expectations, we immediately assumed we’d be a Final Four team. After the injury, we were telling ourselves “wow, can’t believe we got Mizzou’d” again and preceded to slump back into our chairs. Then this team went ahead and won 20 games without aforementioned all-world talent and here we are again demanding the moon.

I’m writing this reminder for me as much as I am for the fan base as a whole. I, too, have been following #TheReturn. I have spent much of this season screaming at my television about the performance of 18-21 year-old kids. I have cursed the refs and the end of game decisions by our new Supreme Leader. As a former Antler, all of this has been perpetuating for the last three years, so I’ll ask you, the readers, the same thing I’ve been asking myself over the course of this season.

Please take a step back and look at how far this team has come.

From where we were just 365 days ago, to where we are now, and all of the bullshit in-between, just take a moment to reflect. This team was supposed to be middle of the pack WITH MPJ. We were a projected borderline NCAA team WITH MPJ. We were SUPPOSED to take a medial step forward.

Instead, we did what most pundits thought we wouldn’t do: make the NCAA tournament. In doing so, those oh-so-familiar feelings have come back. Of pride, of frustration, of near heart-attacks, of excitement and jubilation.
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Feels good to have this all back and I can’t wait to see what this team does next week. M-I-Z!

By Nick Bartels

The day we've all been waiting for since two minutes into the Iowa State game is upon us. Michael Porter Jr. will return to action Thursday in Mizzou's opening round of the SEC Tournament. Excitement is at a fever pitch and it only seems appropriate to make asinine and foolhardy predictions and preserve them forever on the internet. So without further ado, here's what will happen tomorrow...

Prediction #1: First things first, Georgia will beat Vanderbilt and will be our first opponent.

Prediction #2: MPJ will come into the game after the first TV timeout, and the crowd will erupt in excitement.

Prediction #3: MPJ's first bucket will be a three-pointer, shattering his previous single-game scoring record of two points.

Prediction #4: The first time MPJ is fouled, Mizzou fans will howl and broadcasters will mention the risks of playing after back surgery.

Prediction #5: MPJ will have eight first half points.

Prediction #6: MPJ will end the half with a breakaway slam dunk and Mizzou fans will all simultaneously achieve orgasm.

Prediction #7: MPJ will not start the second half.

Prediction #8: Tilmon will get his third foul with 14 minutes left in the second half.

Prediction #9: MPJ and Jontay will share an exuberent and complicated handshake.

Prediction #10: Announcers will talk about MPJ while he's on the bench every much as when he's playing.

Prediction #11: Mizzou will win by 11 points.

Prediction #12: MPJ will finish the game with 17 points.

Prediction #13: Kassius will have 26 points.

Prediction #14: MPJ will get the first post-game interview and thank his family, the team, God, the fans, and his coach. Sorry doctors...no love.

Prediction #15: MPJ will have all the sex prior to the Friday game.

Prediction #16: Overexuberant Mizzou fans will begin making ridiculous claims that Mizzou will run the table through the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

Prediction #17: Mizzou fans will fight with each other about MPJ for some crazy damn reason.

Prediction #18: Mizzou will run the table in the SEC and NCAA Tournament and be national champions. 

​Prediction #19: Kate Upton will blow us all.

By Shea Dawson

The SEC Tournament tips off on Wednesday with the Tigers looking at playing the winner of Georgia/Vanderbilt game on Thursday. The winner of that matchup plays Kentucky Friday. While most consider the Tigers to be in the NCAA tournament, the odds are Mizzou will be in a first round game against a very comparable team (whether that’s a 7-10 game or 8-9 game). Since the Tigers are virtually locked in that seed range, they can shift their focus on a few other things:

The obvious is working MPJ into the rotation. Clearly he will make the team better and the notion that he hurts chemistry, or anything like that is absolutely insane. But it is important that they get some games together, and adjust to MPJ being the focal point of the offense. Defensively, the Tigers have been very solid all year, and is something they will have to use to carry them through this tournament and the NCAA’s next week. At this point, without a true ball handler, it’s hard to imagine we will see a decrease in turnovers. It will be our achilles heel and something we will have to overcome.
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Our biggest opportunity may come off the court this week. St. Louis has been a recruiting problem spot for both the football and the basketball team. Barry Odom hyped the Missouri 2018 class to be one that could change the program, specifially regarding the talent in St. Louis. Basketball has had its own woes in the 314 area code region. Kim Anderson brought in Corey Tate, a St. Louis native, in hopes to help recruiting efforts in STL. That move flopped. Big players like Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal decided to forego their in-state schools and attend blue bloods. Perhaps the bigger indictment is losing high level college players (Tyler Cook, Xavier Sneed) to out of state schools.

Cuonzo Martin is known as a great recruiter and he’s from the St. Louis area, making recruiting success in St. Louis vital to the success of the Mizzou basketball program. We know that winning or having a good showing in the SEC Tournament won’t yield a commitment from Courtney Ramey (who is likely off to Villanova), but it will provide a national spotlight in the city that is vital to sustainable success for the program going forward. Especially with poor performances in the season's Braggin’ Rights game, the Tigers have a fantastic opportunity to put themselves center stage this weekend.

Finally, there is an opportunity for fans this weekend. Mizzou is currently +1100 to win the SEC tournament, not a bad value when you consider the questionable status of Kentucky’s Jordan Vanderbilt by Friday. Wet the beak, Go Tigers.     

By Austin Ward

​Missouri
Mizzou obviously came into the season with a ton of preseason hope. Notice I said hope, not expectations. The offseason kicked off with the Cuonzo Martin hire, and the game changed from there. They brought in MPJ, the best recruit in the country. They took Jeremiah Tilmon away from Illinois. Another top 100 recruit, Blake Harris, also committed. A sharp shooting graduate transfer came in Kassius Robertson. As a finale, Jontay Porter reclassified to close out the year’s recruiting class. The class ranked 8th in the nation. Even with all that, it didn’t convince many experts. I mean how much can an 8-win team really improve? Not much, many believed. ESPN preseason ranked them 71st overall and Athlon Sports magazine predicted them to finish 8th in the SEC.
 
So now that we’ve seen preseason expectations, let’s analyze how the season actually went.
 
Tennessee
As you would expect with a lot of experience coming back, all the returners improved. Grant Williams was the highest scoring returner and led the team with 15.6 points. Seven players average over 20 minutes and 5 ppg. All seven have played every game this season. Overcoming injuries is not an issue Rick Barnes had to face. So his players adapted, but what about the newcomers? It’s common sense that coaching is a lot more difficult for new players than guys who have already played under you. James Daniel III, the high scoring graduate transfer, was no Kassius Robertson. In 20.5 minutes per game he’s averaged 5.7 points on 36% shooting. Yikes. And the recruits? The highest scoring recruit averaged 2.8 ppg. Rick Barnes did a good job in improving the team he already had. But he didn’t overcome much adversity. It’s also pretty normal when college basketball players get better over time. I know, crazy concept.
 
Auburn
Unlike Rick Barnes, Bruce Pearl had adversity to face this season and probably deserved the award more. Two of the top four scorers they were returning (Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley) have not played this season due to an FBI investigation. Mustapha Heron again led the team with 16.6 ppg. Bryce Brown played an increased role with the team and thrived. He averaged nearly 9 more ppg and improved his shooting percentage from 36% to 41%. While Bruce Pearl certainly faced some adversity, he still had a pretty good team around him.
 
Missouri
From a simple standpoint, the expectation was 8th in the SEC and they finished 5th, that’s exceeding expectations. But it’s way more than that. That 8th place prediction didn’t think MPJ’s regular season was going to be two minutes long. That prediction didn’t think CJ Roberts and Blake Harris were going to transfer. That prediction didn’t think the returning point guard in Terrence Phillips was going to be dismissed midseason for a Title IX investigation. Even through all of that, Cuonzo Martin brought an 8-win team to a 20-win team in one season. Imagine what the situation could’ve been without all those losses.
 
You can make a fine argument to not give Cuonzo Martin SEC Coach of the Year. I would, but I know a five seed in the conference tournament doesn’t look sexy. But you cannot make an argument as to why he only got one vote. This guy has adapted to every single scenario this season. Whether it be injuries, transfers, dismissals, he’s been through it all. Yet Mizzou still finished the regular season with 20 wins. Cuonzo Martin has been disrespected.

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