It was a long three seasons for Mizzou basketball fans, as the program won just 27 games under head coach Kim Anderson. Now, however, the Tigers appear to be headed in the right direction.
Sunday afternoon was a big day for Mizzou basketball. Not only did they square off against the Kansas Jayhawks for the first time since 2012, but it was the first time that fans got to see the new look of the program.
When Kim Anderson was relieved of his duties this past winter, the hope was that Missouri could turn things around and at least be competitive. Winning just eight conference games wasn’t exactly what MU had in mind when they left the Big 12 for the SEC, but now, the Tigers should be able to contend for a bid in the NCAA Tournament.
While the Tigers lost on Sunday to the Jayhawks, there was a lot of good to take out of that game. For one, Mizzou was competitive throughout the whole she-bang. That’s a great sign, as MU just looked awful over the past few seasons and at times, looked like they didn’t care.
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Michael Porter Jr. was as good as advertised, leading the Tigers in scoring with 21 points. He also had eight rebounds. Porter wasn’t in the game near the end, which was odd, but at the same time, Mizzou was trailing and the game appeared to be out of hand for the Tigers. Perhaps it was just a precautionary thing.
Jeremiah Tilmon was another fun player to watch, as he had ten points and was holding his own against KU’s Udoka Azubuike. Tilmon’s issue this year will be getting fouled, as he fouled out in this exhibition game despite each player getting seven total fouls.
All in all, this was a really great start to Mizzou basketball season. We saw what the potential is for this season and it’s very good. Yes, the Tigers lost, but KU is the third ranked team in the country. I know MU fans don’t want to admit it, but Kansas basketball is insanely good, and the Tigers hung in with them for pretty much the entire game.
This will be a learning experience for Missouri moving forward and basketball season is actually going to be exhilarating for the first time in several years. That’s great too, as the football team hasn’t exactly wowed the critics.
The 2017-2018 season is going to be a special one for Mizzou basketball and the fans certainly deserve a special season. An NCAA Tournament bid seems likely, even without having played in a regular season game yet, and that’s something any MU fan would have taken a year ago.