It’s a slow build, but we’re beginning the preseason preview for Mizzou MBB in 2026-27
Sammy already posted about Field of 68s offseason review yesterday, and Rob Dauster thinks the Tigers might have what’s approaching a top 10 team. You can watch the YouTube video with friend of the site Jim Root:
Root is, in his heart, a scarred Mizzou fan, so his hesitation is understandable. Dauster is singing high praises. The analytics so far are not buyers. EvanMiya.com will officially drop his rankings today, but you can expect Missouri to be outside the top 30. He released a YouTube show to talk
top players and top ranked teams, and while Mark Mitchell cracked the top 20, Mizzou was not listed in the top 30. BartTorvik.com hasn’t updated to include Mitchell, and he has the Tigers at 42.
SEC teams who are in the top 30:
- Florida
- Alabama
- Texas
- Tennessee
- LSU
- Kentucky
- Arkansas
- Auburn
- Oklahoma
- Georgia
As for where Mizzou will be in our preseason rankings? Well, not 11th! Now to be fair to Miya’s rankings, these are based on if all possible ineligible players are eligible. We’ll get a fuller picture today with the drop, but even if all or none of the questionable eligibility cases work against the Tigers, I still think they’re a top half team at worst.
Yesterday at Rock M and Rock M+
A little Olympic start to the day with some results and some previews… First up the results of Men’s Golf’s action in Ontario, Canada:
[Veikka] Viskari shot 73-66-70 on the par-71 course to finish 4-under overall. He was the only golfer at the tournament to shoot a 66, which is also his lowest 18-hole score of the season.
Junior Trent Mierl was close behind, posting a consistent 72-71-72 for a 2-over total. He finished in a tie for ninth place, up from his 17th-place rank at the end of the first round.
Mizzou Cross Country heads for the Billiken XC Invite, plus the results for the Cyclone Invite:
Elijah Limo set the pace for the field, capturing a first-place victory with a time of 18:05.2. Raymond Kipkoech finished right on his teammate’s heels, taking second place in 18:10.6, just 5.4 seconds behind. Tyler Freiner added a strong top-six performance, placing sixth overall in 18:24.4.
On the women’s side, Mizzou put together a top showcase in the 5,000-meter race, placing three of its runners in the top four.
Good showing from the distance runners, hope it continues today.
Lite Football day but still some stuff to talk about
- Is Missouri becoming Linebacker U? Colin Simmons wrote about it, and basically answered the question without fully answering it:
Nicholas Rodriguez and Robert Woodyard Jr. have quickly established themselves as the leaders of this revamped defense. The two linebackers combined for 14 tackles against Kansas, with Woodyard providing the biggest momentum swing in a Border War win.
Woodyard forced and recovered a fumble on one defensive snap before intercepting quarterback Isaiah Marshall on the very next defensive play. Mizzou turned both takeaways into touchdowns during a 28-second span, taking control of the game after being knotted at 14-14.
When Mizzou signed Woodyard, it was easy to see how good he was going to be for them. Just a wrecking ball of energy on defense.
- Going up? Going down? Who’s rising and falling after two weeks of action?
Another player to have sort of a coming-out party was edge rusher Daeden Hopkins, who was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.
His 50 snaps also matched his season total from 2025. Against KU, PFF credited him with 8 pressures (He had 4 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff a season ago). He provided the final knockout blow with a strip sack, which led MU to go up 38-21. In a year where the edge rusher room has a lot to prove, Hopkins, Darris Smith, and Langden Kitchen have all looked the part. Hopkins’ showing he can produce in a larger workload helps answer the questions of who will step up in the edge rusher room.
And to think we were worried about the defensive line with Hopkins waiting in line.
MIZZOU BASKETBALL on ROCKM+: Matt Harris posted an excellent breakdown of C.J. Gunn’s game. Gunn still isn’t listed on the online roster (neither is Mark Mitchell, for that matter) but we’re breaking him down anyway. Join us!
Rock M RADIO: BTBS keeps the fun going
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