Mizzou Basketball: Michael Porter Jr could return by end of regular season
Mizzou basketball fans were devastated when star freshman Michael Porter Jr. was deemed out for the season after needing back surgery. Now, however, could the freshman phenom be making a return to the court?
When freshman Michael Porter Jr. was said to be out for the year, Missouri Tigers fans took this as another sign from the college sports gods that their team was never meant to have success. Well, fear not, MU fans… Your luck might be changing!
Dr. Rick Leuhman was doing a radio interview with Frank Cusumano and dropped a hot piece of information within that segment. The information “leaked” was that Porter could be back in action in the next four weeks.
In case you were wondering, that’d line up perfectly with the beginning of conference play. That will be when Mizzou will really need to step up their game and play near perfect games.
Dr. Rick Lehman talking Michael Porter Jr. on @Frank_Cusumano's radio show this morning: "I think he'll be back in the next four weeks, and that's more than just a guess."
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) December 12, 2017
Whoa.#Mizzou
The Tigers host Kentucky in early February and if the four week timetable is true, then Porter would be back in time for that game. Having Porter present for MU’s date with Kentucky would be huge, as it’d give Missouri a big boost against the team to beat in the SEC.
Porter scored just two points in a whopping two minutes of play in Missouri’s season opener last month. He was taken out of the game shortly after and the whole thing was a mystery for quite some time.
While the news of Porter returning is exciting, hold your horses there. Adam Zagoria says there is no timetable.
I'm told by a source close to the situation that reports that Michael Porter Jr. could return in 4 weeks for Mizzou are inaccurate. No timetable on a return, but he is going through the rehab process. pic.twitter.com/R8vh43hZWr
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) December 13, 2017
With conflicting reports, it’s up to fans to believe what they want to believe. Missouri has done well without their star freshman recruit, so having him in this lineup could be the difference between a middle seed in the tournament or a high seed in March.
More from Missouri Tigers
- NBA Draft Prospects to Watch From Kansas, Missouri, and Kansas State
- Missouri Tigers: Key Takeaways From Mizzou’s Black and Gold Spring Game
- Why Missouri Tiger’s Tyler Badie Is Worth a Draft Selection
- Mizzou Wrestling Looks To Take On Iowa State
- Mizzou Wrestling Knocks Off Tenth Ranked Oklahoma State
The Tigers are 8-2 at the moment and post a perfect 5-0 record in Columbia. That’s why having Porter for that game against Kentucky in February would be amazing. The Tiger faithful will show up in masses when there’s a good team on the court and with how well the Tigers have been playing, that’ll definitely be a game to circle on the calendar.
Even if Michael Porter Jr. can’t return for the regular season, having him in the NCAA Tournament (assuming the Tigers make it there) would be a difference maker. Porter being on this team come March would make Missouri fans feel a lot more confident about potentially making a run towards something special.
Around the SEC (as of Friday afternoon), Kentucky is 8-1, South Carolina is 8-2, Arkansas is 7-2, and Florida is “struggling” at 6-3. Shockingly, Alabama is turning heads early this season with a 7-3 record.
Of course, we’re still in non-conference play, so most schools are doing well, but these will be the teams to watch for in conference play. Missouri is doing extremely well without Michael Porter Jr., but will they be able to keep it up when it’s time to play the tougher teams? We’ll just have to wait and see.