As senior guard Dru Smith heaved the final prayer at the buzzer, the Missouri men’s basketball team found itself at the end of the road for its 2020-21 campaign. After a hard-fought 4-point defeat at the hands of former Big 12 rival University of Oklahoma, the program’s immediate future looked cloudy.
The Tigers certainly played above their expectations for the season. Led by accomplished seniors Smith and forward Jeremiah Tilmon, along with junior guard Xavier Pinson and sophomore standout Kobe Brown, Missouri surprised many by surging into the AP Top 25 despite competing in a very tough SEC. But stumbles late in the year caused them to fall to a 9-seed by the time Selection Sunday arrived.
From the moment the book closed on their post-season aspirations, questions emerged about how the team would look for the upcoming year. Last season, a team full of senior leadership and veteran experience comprised the Missouri roster.
It’s safe to say that’s no longer the case, with over half of the roster being underclassmen.
This offseason, the team underwent a seismic shift with the now-junior Brown and senior guard Javon Pickett being the only notable contributors returning to play for the program. In total, four of the five starters on the team departed, either via transfer or graduation.
The crowds at Mizzou Arena are going to see a lot of new faces on the court dressed in black and gold. Head Coach Cuonzo Martin has brought in nine new players — five incoming freshmen and four transfers from other programs.
Headlining the incoming class is junior guard Amari Davis, a former 3-star HS recruit who played his first two college seasons at Green Bay. Joining Davis at Missouri via the transfer portal are fellow junior guards Jarron Coleman and DaJuan Gordon, both former 3-stars and transfers from Ball State and Kansas State, respectively. Together, the three guards will hopefully help to fill the void left in the backcourt after Smith and Pinson’s exits.
The team heads into the new season after losing four of its top six scorers, but scoring production is not the only matter up in the air. With only one senior on the roster, the big question is which players will step up to lead the team through a period of change.
Martin was not concerned about the role transition and expressed confidence in Pickett, the lone senior on the roster.
“He’s always been all business since he stepped on campus,” Martin said. “He has a certain ‘peace’ to him … as a leader, he understands what it means to lead.”
Pickett played primarily off the bench last season for the Tigers, often headlining the second unit as a versatile and reliable wing in the role of sixth or seventh man. It’s likely the team will need a spike in production from its oldest player, likely with more minutes and a significant role increase. Last season, Pickett posted per-game numbers of just 6.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists while shooting almost 54% from the field. If the Tigers are to remain competitive in conference play, they need more on the court from Pickett on both ends of the floor.
Another question to be sorted out early in the season is how deep Martin will run the rotation. Martin gave a pretty clear answer, seemingly set on a plan following Missouri’s two preseason scrimmages with Crieghton and Oklahoma State.
“I think we have a very solid eight to 10 [players] depending on the situation,” Martin said.
Most analysts don’t have incredibly high hopes for Missouri after so much turnover on the roster. In the highly-regarded KenPom team rankings — a site that ranks all 300-plus college basketball teams based on various stats and predictive analysis — the Tigers are ranked No. 95. The ranking slots them ahead of only one other SEC team, with Georgia clocking in at No. 159.
Most preseason SEC predictions tell a similar story, with Missouri generally projected to finish near the bottom of the SEC with a record of around 17-13 or 16-14.
Unless this team has a few hidden tricks up its sleeve and manages to pick up some impressive wins, it looks to be headed toward a mid-to-low seeding in the NIT, with perhaps a small chance at competing for a spot on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Although this year’s team may not reach the heights of last year’s squad, Martin and his coaching staff will get a good glimpse at the future of the program. The team has taken a hard reset and has gone from one of the oldest teams in their conference to one of the youngest.
Edited by Mason Arneson | marneson@themaneater.com