Welcome to the Morning Commute
Mizzou Hoops is back. Let us all rejoice.
The Tigers kick off their season in DC tonight against the Howard Bison in what’s sure to be a big season for Gates, who’s still looking for an extended run into the NCAA Tournament.
Can Anthony Robinson II make the leap from promising underclassman to All-SEC point guard? Can Annor Boateng turn his potential into impact? Can Mark Mitchell stay healthy? All that and more in the coming months, and you won’t find a better place to keep up with the latest news
and analysis than at this website and at Rock M+.
I won’t overanalyze this thing. I’m just excited!
Yesterday at Rock M and Rock M+
If Mizzou is merely okay this season, they still have enough depth and talent to make the tournament. KenPom projects the Tigers 28th in the country, that’s safely in. With the 17th best offense, and the 54th best defense. That projection gets them to around 9-9 in the league, and with the quality of the SEC that will probably be enough for a 7-9 seed, with seeding just depending on quality of wins.
I think ‘merely okay’ should be the foundation and we build from there. What say you?
Mizzou’s two appearances in the Big Dance have flamed out earlier than many expected. Two years ago, MU was an unwanted part of Princeton’s Cinderella story. Last season, the Tigers were one of just five teams to lose to a double-digit seed, falling to Drake in the Round of 64. Mizzou still hasn’t advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2009.
Second weekend of March, gotta say that doesn’t sound too bad.
In the decisive fifth set, Vanderbilt started strong with a 9-4 lead to force a Mizzou timeout. The Tigers faced three straight match points as they trailed 14-11, but fought those off with a 3-0 run. Vanderbilt took care of business in extra points thanks to a Mizzou service error then a block for the 16-14 set win to pull off the upset.
So long win streak, we’ll miss you.
Mizzou began the day with a sweep over Drury, outscoring the Panthers 51-0. There were an impressive six wins by fall and one win by tech fall for the Tigers, a truly one-sided performance to begin the day. Mizzou led in takedowns against Drury, 24-1, and total neutral points, 74-3.
Moore’s win by fall was the fastest of the day, finishing off his opponent in 40 seconds. The redshirt junior is looking to improve upon his fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Championship last season.
Redemption season? Redemption season.
The Missouri Tigers welcomed in conference opponent Vanderbilt (women) and D2 McKendree (men/women) to the gorgeous Mizzou Aquatic Center — I love that place and have such fond memories of it from my coaching days — on November 1, and came away with a very convincing sweep in the double dual, with the men beating McKendree 213.50 to 85.50, and the women knocking off Vandy 236 t0 57 and McKendree, 244 to 40. The Tigers dominated, taking first through third places in 16 of 32 events. Wow.
Love sweeps. Love them in every sport.
- Over at Rock M+, the newbies are the focus of the latest basketball previews, Matt Harris has a lookahead to tonight’s season opener for Mizzou Hoops and another SEC football coach hits the dust.
(** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)
