Following a Mississippi State-Auburn matchup, the Missouri men’s basketball team (9-22, 3-15 Southeastern Conference) will play its first SEC tournament game against South Carolina (15-15, 6-12 SEC) on Wednesday.
Here is The Maneater’s scouting report for all of the Tigers’ potential matchups in the conference tournament.
**Who’s hot:** Namon Wright, sophomore guard
Last four games:
15 PPG
12-24 from three-point range (.500)
.488 from the field
**Who’s not:** Ryan Rosburg, junior forward
Last four games:
4 points combined
1.8 rebounds per game
1-7 from the field (.143)
**First Round:** South Carolina (11-seed)
Date/time: Wednesday, March 11, 8:30 p.m. (approx.)
The Tigers faced the Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina, on Feb. 10, falling 65-60. In addition, Mizzou lost its second-leading scorer, sophomore guard Wes Clark, in the contest when he dislocated his right elbow diving for a loose ball in the second half. In that game, the Tigers outshot the Gamecocks 42.3 percent to 36.5 percent, but Mizzou got the ball stolen from them 10 times, and turned the ball over on 15 occasions. However, the Tigers were without three guards in that loss. Freshmen Namon Wright, Montaque Gill-Caesar and Tramaine Isabell were all suspended at that time. This time around, all three are scheduled to be active, but the Gamecocks are still eight-point favorites over the Tigers, according to ESPN.
**Probability of Mizzou win:** not unlikely.
**Watch out for:** Sindarius Thornwell, sophomore guard
10.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.0 APG
Scored 14 points and had six assists in previous win over Mizzou
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**Second Round:** Ole Miss (6-seed)
Date/time: Thursday, March 12, 8:30 p.m. (approx.)
If Mizzou were to defeat South Carolina in the first round, then the Tigers would last another day to face the Ole Miss Rebels (20-11, 11-7 SEC) on Thursday. Missouri was embarrassed at home by the Rebels on Jan. 31, losing 67-47 in its worst loss at the Mizzou Arena all season. The Rebels’ offensive would torment the Tigers, as they average 73 points per game (13 more than Mizzou). In addition, Ole Miss has three players who average more than 10 points per game; meanwhile, the Tigers have just one in sophomore forward Johnathan Williams III. Ole Miss is a 10-seed in the NCAA tournament in ESPN “Bracketologist” Joe Lunardi’s latest predictions.
**Probability of Mizzou win:** not likely.
**Watch out for:** Stefan Moody, junior guard
16.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.2 APG
Fourth in SEC in scoring
Scored 23 points in previous win over Mizzou
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**Third Round:** Georgia (3-seed)
Date/time: Friday, March 13, 8:30 p.m. (approx.)
It’s unlikely, but if the 14-seeded Tigers were to win two games in Nashville, they would play the Georgia Bulldogs (20-10, 11-7 SEC), who will be fresh off a double-bye. The Bulldogs, a predicted nine-seed in March Madness, crushed Mizzou by 24 points just 12 days ago. The Tigers shot 28.6 percent and were outrebounded 47-30 in that game. UGA has five players averaging over 10 points per game on the season, and rank atop the SEC in rebounds per game at 38.
**Probability of Mizzou win:** very unlikely.
**Watch out for:** Marcus Thornton, senior forward
12.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.2 BPG
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**Fourth Round:** Most likely Arkansas (2-seed)
Date/time: Saturday, March 14, 2:30 p.m. (approx.)
Maybe the opposing teams forfeited, maybe Wilt Chamberlain returned from the dead and joined the Tigers, or maybe Mizzou is just simply playing good basketball. If the Tigers win three games, they will likely face the Arkansas Razorbacks (24-7, 13-5 SEC) in the tournament semifinals. Oddly enough, the Tigers actually have a chance of winning this game. Mizzou faced its newfound “rivals” twice this season — first losing by one at home (via two Wes Clark missed free throws in the final seconds), and then losing by 15 in Fayetteville. But even in the second game, the Tigers hung on with the Razorbacks. It was a tied ballgame 12 minutes in, and despite a couple Arkansas runs, the two teams were fairly even. Mizzou shot 50 percent from the field that game, but it was the 20 turnovers that lost the game for the Tigers. The Razorbacks are a predicted fifth-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament and rank 11th in the nation in scoring at 79 points per game. If the Tigers play defense like they did in their first matchup against Arkansas (60 points given up), then there is hope for this improbably Cinderella story to continue on.
**Probability of Mizzou win:** surprisingly not unlikely.
**Watch out for:** Bobby Portis, sophomore forward
17.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.5 BPG
Fourth in SEC in rebounding
Michael Qualls, junior guard
15.3 PPG, 5.5 APG
Rashad Madden, senior guard
10.0 PPG, 4.8 APG
Second in SEC in assist average
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**Fifth Round:** Likely Kentucky (1-seed)
Date/time: Sunday, March 15, noon
Well, there you have it. Mizzou has stunned the nation, and is in the championship game — one win away from an automatic NCAA tournament bid. And if the Tigers have already made it this far, it only makes sense that they would hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season, right?
Mizzou faced Kentucky (31-0, 18-0 SEC) twice this season. On Jan. 13, the Tigers were obliterated in Rupp Arena by 49 points. Sixteen days later, Mizzou put up a fight on its own home court, leading 17-16 13 minutes into the game. But the Tigers still lost by 16. Even when Kentucky is not at its best, the Wildcats are still a force to be reckoned with.
However, there is always the chance that a team like Louisiana State will knock off the Wildcats before they reach the finals. In that case, hey, Mizzou has already beaten LSU this season.
**Probability of Mizzou win:** “Anything is possible!” -Kevin Garnett, 2008
**Watch out for:** the whole team, including its ballboys.