Missouri men’s basketball kicks off its season today inside Mizzou Arena against Central Michigan. Much like football, the basketball team will also try to pick up a season opening win against the Chippewas.
Familiar faces are few and far between on this year’s team as the Tigers only bring back three players who recorded minutes last year. Joining this trio are five incoming freshmen and four transfers.
Missouri men’s basketball was picked to finish 10th in the SEC media preseason poll for the second straight year in a row. Last year’s team exceeded expectations, finishing seventh in the final SEC standings as well as receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a nine seed. This year’s team, although much different, looks to break past its pre-season expectations and the road to that goal starts with Tuesday’s season opener. Here are the keys for the Tigers season opener as they tip off the 2021-22 season.
The importance of Kobe Brown and Javon Pickett
Missouri only returns one starter from last year’s squad junior forward, Kobe Brown. A combo forward, Brown will have to take on a much bigger role than he did last year, where he averaged 8 points and 6.2 boards per game.
As a mixture between the small forward and power forward spots, Brown gets most of his buckets at the rim, while also shooting the three frequently. Brown will need to increase his scoring efforts as the Tigers will look to the forward from Huntsville, Alabama as a primary scoring option.
One of the only other players that returns from last year’s squad is senior guard Javon Pickett. He played in 31 of Mizzou’s 32 games, starting all 31 of those contests as a freshman, as well as starting over two-thirds of games his sophomore year. However, last year Pickett found himself coming off the bench and receiving much less time on the floor. A vocal leader, Pickett is the only senior on the team and looks to make a big jump in his role compared to last year.
“I kind of play the leadership role,” Pickett said. “I feel like I’m ready for that. I feel like I’m doing a great job with that so far.”
His play and leadership will be a huge part of the Tigers’ ability to have success and a potentially huge catalyst could be the three ball. Pickett shot 36% from deep last year, though he only attempted 25 3-pointers. As the only returning guard, he should see his starting role return and more shot opportunities.
New Faces in a Tiger Jersey
Another large part of Missouri’s possible success this year will be determined by the new faces of the program. The Tigers bring in multiple talented transfers including sophomore forward from UMass Ronnie DeGray III, junior guard from Kansas State DaJuan Gordon, junior guard Amari Davis from Green Bay, and redshirt junior guard from Ball State Jarron Coleman.
The trio of guards and combo forward will take on big roles in their first season in Columbia. Since there are plenty of minutes to be filled and shots to be taken, scorers like Coleman and Degray are much needed.
How head coach Cuonzo Martin decides to play five incoming freshmen will garner some attention on Tuesday, as there will be plenty of opportunity to earn playing time. The Tigers bring in guards freshman Anton Brookshire and Kobe Brown’s younger brother, freshman Kaleb Brown, as well as forward Trevon Brazile and big man Yaya Keita. Missouri also has redshirt freshman wing Sean Durugordon, who enrolled at Missouri last spring and sat on the sidelines as the Tigers earned an NCAA Tournament berth.
One or multiple guys need to step up as primary scorers for Missouri
Last year’s team raised expectations so high with an AP Top 25 ranking that it held from mid-December until mid-February, only to get bounced in the first round as a nine seed. With not a lot of familiarity, expectations have shifted back.
The Tigers have a talented mix of young players and transfers as well as veteran leaders in Brown and Pickett, but there isn’t a standout scorer who has been the focal point of a college basketball offense.
Missouri has plenty of capable candidates to fill in the scoring roles of recently departing guards Xavier Pinson and Dru Smith, along with forward Jeremiah Tilmon. Is it going to be Brown using his body and aggressiveness to be an effective slasher? Is it going to be Pickett finding his stroke from deep or a transfer coming in and lighting up the scoreboard?
No matter who it is, Missouri needs someone to step up as the main playmaker and this fresh roster will have opportunities for people to do so. Once a leading scorer or a few of them emerge in these first few games, the Tigers will start to have a much better understanding of what they have on their roster.
Central Michigan is coming off a down year and should continue to struggle
Central Michigan is coming off of a poor season last year. The Chippewas finished the season 7-16 and 3-13 in the MAC.
The Chippewas enter the year with a new head coach, Tony Barbee, who spent the last seven seasons as an assistant at Kentucky.
Central Michigan comes into the year ranked No. 301 out of 358 NCAA Division I teams in the kenpom.com rankings, including No. 273 on offense and No. 314 on defense.
A team that used to be defined by high scoring and explosive guard play, took a step back last year. After averaging over 78 points a game from 2017-2020, last year’s Central Michigan squad only put up 76.8 points per game. Paired with the loss of their top four scorers last year, the Chippewas don’t have a strong case to make an upset in Columbia on Tuesday.
Game Prediction
There are a lot of questions heading into Tuesday night’s game and luckily for the Tigers, they should have a relatively light three-game stretch to start off the season and hopefully answer some of those questions.
It’s expected that Missouri will handle this game and win comfortably. Tuesday will be like many other season openers across the country; an opportunity to get a better understanding of the team on the floor. For teams with not a lot of returning production and a mixture of new players, the first few games of the season can be a good way to get team chemistry gelling and begin to find a rhythm as a squad.
Pickett and Brown will look to be the leading scorers for the Tigers, but transfers like Gordon and Coleman will have opportunities to shine in their first games inside Mizzou Arena.
Score Prediction:
Missouri 88, Central Michigan 67
Edited by Mason Arneson | marneson@themaneater.com
