SEC Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19

By Brian Rauf | Jun 26, 2018

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 22: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats speaks to PJ Washington #25 in the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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ST LOUIS, MO – MARCH 08: Jontay Porter #11 of the Missouri Tigers shoots the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second round of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 8, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

9. Missouri Tigers

Missouri was supposed to be the Michael Porter Jr. show last season but still found a way to make the NCAA Tournament despite Porter only playing in three games.

Fans are hoping the Tigers can find similar success without him, but I don’t expect that to be the case. Kassius Roberson and Jordan Barnett were Missouz’s leading scorers last year and both are gone.

Cuonzo Martin’s squad was boosted by a top-five recruiting class last season that featured Porter and his brother, Jontay. This year, the Tigers only welcome one recruit (four-star guard Torrence Watson) that is expected to make an impact, giving Missouri less depth.

Jontay Porter, a projected first-round pick, decided to return after testing the NBA Draft waters and will be tasked with carrying the load for the Tigers as they try to replace all of the production they lost, which is a tall task.

Expect Porter to be a first-team All-SEC performer and to be a top-20 pick in next year’s draft. But outside of him, the Tigers don’t have much to offer in this uber-competitive conference. I’d look for them to be a bubble team all season long and to eventually end up on the wrong side of it.

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