Mizzou Basketball desperately needs Michael Porter Jr
Mizzou basketball fans were stoked when Michael Porter Jr. announced he’d be joining the Tigers in 2017. Where has he been though? MU needs him!
The Missouri Tigers had high expectations for the 2017-2018 season and why shouldn’t they have? They landed the top recruit in the country and had a new head coach to help lead the way. Everything was (finally) coming up Mizzou!
Instead, however, MU has seen their top recruit play in just two minutes and scoring two points during that time. Those two minutes came over a week ago when the Tigers hosted Iowa State in the first game of the season.
Since then, Missouri is 2-1, but it hasn’t been all sunshine and sprinkles. Without Porter, this team probably isn’t going dancing in March. That was showcased when the Tigers struggled to scratch out a victory against Emporia State on Monday night.
Missouri locked up in a tight one with the team picked 10th preseason in the MIAA.
— Carrington Harrison (@cdotharrison) November 21, 2017
Emporia State, in case you were wondering what conference they play in, is a Division 2 university and was picked to finish near the bottom of their conference. Missouri should have CRUSHED the Hornets, but instead barely beat them. The final score was 67-62, Mizzou. Yikes.
Sure, MU is still 3-1 and keeping up with the rest of the pack in the SEC, but we’ve seen what this team looks like without Michael Porter Jr., and it isn’t good. Porter needs to come back, but when will that be?
Mizzou's Michael Porter, Jr. will not be available for tonight’s game vs. Emporia State, per the team. He has an appointment with a specialist.
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) November 20, 2017
When Porter first left the Iowa State game, fans were panicky, but everyone assumed it was a precautionary thing. The Tigers played just fine without him in that one, but we’ve seen in the last two games just how vital he is to this roster.
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The good news about Monday’s game is that Jeremiah Tilmon scored a team-high 13 points (Kevin Puryear also had 13 points) and Michael’s brother Jontay Porter had 11. Tilmon continues to struggle with fouls, racking them up like nobody’s business.
The Tigers allowed Emporia State to have a player record 21 points against them, which is embarrassing. This game was way too close for comfort and Mizzou won’t be making any type of run if Michael Porter Jr. continues to miss games.
Obviously the most important thing is that he’s okay, but for a starved fan base and starved program, Mizzou basketball is desperately counting on Michael Porter Jr. to return and save the team from evil.
Next up for the Missouri Tigers is a date with Long Beach State on Thanksgiving morning. It is a part of the Advocare Invitational in Orlando. The Tigers should be able to win this one, but it won’t be surprising if Porter, once again, doesn’t make the trip.