Missouri Basketball: 3 key questions facing the Tigers in 2018-19

3. Can Mizzou be dominant with its size and versatility?

We already talked about the value of Jontay Porter and his potential to give other teams problems in the SEC. But the Tigers also return senior Kevin Puryear and sophomore Jeremiah Tilmon.

Puryear is a 6’7, 215 pound forward with an old school style and a little range as well. He ceded minutes to Tilmon and Porter in 2017-18, but still put up over 8 points and 4 rebounds a game. He’ll be counted on as a leader who has shown the potential to put together some really nice games.

Lots of Tiger fans are excited to see what Tilmon can do his sophomore year. The 6’10, 250 pounder was a difference maker on both ends of the court. Tilmon (8.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg) altered shots, attacked the glass and flashed some silky post moves with regularity. As long as he stays out of foul trouble, look for him to be one of the better true big man in the SEC in 2018-19.

Puryear and Tilmon, together with Porter, provide a really tough trio of bigs. All three are unique players but hard to cover in their own ways.

Martin rarely, if ever played all of these three at the same time in 2017-18. But, I think there’s a chance we see some lineups involving all three this season. Per KenPom, Missouri ranked 296th in tempo last season, meaning they played a slower, more deliberate style of basketball. I expect Cuanzo will want to play a similar kind of pace this season.

The athleticism and versatility of Porter, Puryear, and Tilmon should make Mizzou a really tough team to beat in the SEC, even with the abundance of quality bigs throughout the league.