Welcome to the Morning Commute
Today we are talking about Mizzou’s matchup against No. 23 Alabama on the road.
In a game that had a lot of build up with all the rumors about Charles Bediako, the Tigers couldn’t keep up.
This was definitely an eye opener for Dennis Gates and it is back to the drawing board. In a way, this feels like the loss against Illinois. A mentally draining one that makes the season’s end goal look out of reach. Mizzou came out of that loss with two marquee wins to put the tournament back in reach. Can the Tigers do it again?
From Rory’s gamer:
When Effie Trinket echoes the iconic phrase, “May the odds be ever in your favor!” in The Hunger Games, I don’t think she was speaking to Missouri basketball.
Read the rest of Rory’s gamer here.
We have more discussion on football and basketball, diving into prospects, visits and PFF grades in the Rock M+ forums.
Yesterday at Rock M and Rock M+
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Tigers still on the wrong side of the bubble among the Next Four Out.
With a win on Tuesday this could’ve been a different story, but for now, the Tigers remain on the wrong side of the bubble.
The Mizzou receiver room was barren at the start of the offseason with Donovan Olugbode as the one notable exception. The Tigers needed a lot of options to fill the holes, and the staff has done well to obtain many of them in the portal. But as enticing as talents like Naushaun Montgomery, Caleb Goodie and Kenric Lanier II are, none of them are surefire starters on day one. Lee is that and more, giving the Tigers a dangerous weapon to pair with Olugbode and Brett Norflett right away.
This is one of the strongest portal additions all offseason for the Tigers. Expect to hear the name Lee a lot whenever Austin Simmons is throwing.
It’s not a guarantee that Owens will play right away — look at Johnny Williams IV last season as an example of how wrong we can be about offensive linemen — but there’s little chance Owens left a starting job in Starkville if he didn’t think he could hack it in Columbia. I’d count on seeing Owens early in the season as the line settles itself out.
The Tigers are building a strong offensive line through the portal but they are going to have a lot to prove with a bulk of the firepower from this past season leaving.
While the path is there for Mizzou to make the NCAA Tournament, the odds are up against them as KenPom currently predicts Missouri to finish 8-10 in conference play.
A lot left to prove for the Tigers. A win on Tuesday would’ve been huge.
A controversy in T-Town, who ever could have guessed? Well, Nate Oats and the Tide have welcomed the fanfare alongside the return of Charles Bediako.
He made his “debut” (can it even be called that?) against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday and was originally questionable for the matchup against Missouri until a court hearing was postponed due to weather. Therefore, the center will be back on the court Tuesday night.
After being granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA (editor’s note: by a judge who is a Bama donor, mind you), he continues to make headlines. Just a week prior to his return, the seven-footer was playing in the NBA’s G League on a two-way contract, last playing in a collegiate game in the 2022 season. Yes, he’s a professional basketball player currently under contract.
What a crazy situation revolving around Tuscaloosa and Mizzou falls into the Tide’s schedule at an unfortunate time.
From the charity stripe, the team shot 34.8 percent. It’s the worst they have shot from the line in all of conference play this season, about 15 percent worse than the team’s performance against Ole Miss. It was so miserable that Alabama fans actually won free french fries for the amount of free throws the Tigers missed. (Editor’s note: Yikes.)
This just about sums up how the game went. I’ll add onto Karen’s editor note with: Another Yikes.
Over at Rock M+ we have more Mizzou football discussion and basketball discussion with the transfer portal winding down for football, and SEC play picking up for basketball.
From Rock M Radio: Before the Box Score
In this episode, Nate and Nathan discuss the upcoming transfer portal season for Mizzou. They analyze the needs for various positions, including quarterback, running back, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, cornerbacks, safeties, and special teams. The conversation highlights the importance of strategic recruitment to address gaps and improve the team’s performance in the upcoming season.
Subscribe to Rock M Radio on Apple Podcasts. Or stream episodes through Megaphone or Spotify. Have a question for us? Leave a 5-star review with your question and that show just might answer it in an upcoming episode!
If you like Rock M Radio drop us a Review and be sure to subscribe on your preferred podcasting platform. Follow @RockMRadio on Twitter and if you haven’t already head over to our YouTube channel and click that subscribe button!
(** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)
