Mizzou and the NCAA Tournament: The Sun Also Rises

Outside the Missouri locker room at Kansas City’s Sprint Center, Tigers Coach Mike Anderson tried to lend perspective to Missouri’s first-round ouster from the Big 12 Tournament.

“The sun will come up tomorrow,” Anderson said, then, perhaps not wanting to tempt the heavens, added: “Hopefully it will come up.”

It did.

Under grey skies over the Power & Light district that matched the gloom of many Missouri basketball fans, but the sun did come up.

On assurances, in every one of 12 NCAA Tournament predictions that were brought to my attention this morning, that Mizzou remains in the field that will be announced on Sunday.

In those mock brackets, Missouri is a seven seed in one, an eight or a nine seed in eight, and a 10 seed in the other three.
Missouri was considered a lock before the Big 12 Tournament and the Tigers appear to remain a lock.

The Tigers didn’t do themselves any favors losing three of four, that fourth to a Nebraska team MU had beaten easily twice before as the Cornhusker finished last in the Big 12.
Heck, if not for Zaire Taylor’s mad dash to the winning backet in the final 6.1 seconds over overtime at Iowa State, the Tigers would head into Selection Sunday with a four-game losing skid.

But if you want a recent comparison you need look no further than Texas A&M a year ago.

The Aggies entered the league tournament 23-8, having finished sixth in the Big 12 regular season at 9-7.

A&M lost its first game to Texas Tech in Oklahoma City.

And the Aggies moved onto the NCAA Tournament as an eight seed.

Missouri entered the Big 12 Tournament this year 22-9, 10-6 and fifth in the Big 12 regular season.

The Tigers lost to Nebraska in their first Big 12 Tournament game.

Frankly, Missouri, the way it played against Nebraska on Wednesday, resembled nothing more than a one and done in the NCAA Tournament.

But almost every sign today points to the Tigers getting the chance to disprove that impression in the NCAA Tournament.