Mizzou Hoops Picked To Finish Ninth In SEC This Season

Dennis Gates and his Missouri Tigers went 25-10 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. (Photo: Associated Press)

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

The University of Missouri men’s basketball team was picked to finish just below the middle of the pack in Southeastern Conference preseason predictions, which were released on Tuesday.

A panel of voters, which included SEC local and national media members, picked Missouri to finish ninth in the 14-team league. The Tigers finished fourth in the standings last year and advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and the second round of the NCAA Tournament, before ending the year with a 25-10 record in head coach Dennis Gates’ first season at Missouri.

Gates told reporters on Monday that he didn’t pay much attention to preseason predictions and that he and his team had their own plans for what their season would be this year. Senior forward and team captain Noah Carter gave a similar statement and said he felt the Tigers were being disrespected by the preseason media rankings.

Tennessee, a team Missouri beat twice last year, was picked to win the SEC title this year. The Volunteers were 25-11 last year, but did make it to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, before losing to Florida Atlantic in a game at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Texas A&M was picked to finish second, with Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama right behind to round out the top five. Auburn, Mississippi State, and Florida finished in the spots ahead of Mizzou. Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Georgia, LSU, and South Carolina made up the final five spots.

There were no Mizzou players named to any of the preseason all-conference teams. Former Mizzou player and native Missourian, Trevon Brazile, was a first-team All-SEC selection.

Brazile played at Mizzou during the 2021-22 season, but transferred to Arkanas last year. He was injured early in the season and didn’t face the Tigers in either of the two games they played against the Razorbacks.

Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV was named SEC Preseason Player of the Year. Last year, he averaged 16.5 points per game and was one of just three NCAA Division I players with 500+ points, 125+ assists, and 5-+ steals, while also making 85% or better of his free throw attempts.

Mizzou began training camp practices last week and will tip off its regular season on Monday, November 6, when it will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Mizzou Arena at 7 p.m. SEC league play will begin when the new year begins. The Tigers will host Georgia on January 6.