Missouri Basketball: Where do Tigers rank in the SEC after Tennessee win?

After defeating Tennessee Saturday night, where does Missouri Basketball rank in the SEC? That’s a question many people weren’t expecting to ask. But the Tigers’ play has warranted it.

Though it may not get the national attention it deserves, there have been no dull moments inside the Southeastern Conference this season. From Kentucky’s struggles to Alabama’s rise to one of the country’s top teams, the conference anything but short of intriguing storylines.

Sandwiched between the Kentucky and Alabama narratives is a battle for which team deserves to be directly under the Crimson Tide in terms of the SEC’s best. For a while, the clear choice appeared to be Tennessee. At one point, they were even ahead of Alabama. Now, after two-straight losses, the Volunteers are beginning to fall out of favor a bit.

If Tennessee is not the team behind Alabama in the SEC, who is? How about the team that defeated the Volunteers by nine points Saturday night? The Missouri Tigers.

At no fault of their own, the Missouri Tigers are one of those forgotten good teams both in the conference and nationally. Even though they suffered a blowout loss in late December to Tennessee and a peculiar defeat to Mississippi State, Missouri has also recorded some respectable victories. According to Ken Pomeroy’s model, the Tigers have four Tier A wins, with the only Tier A loss coming in that blowout to the Volunteers.

Offensively, their efficiency ranks among the top 60, averaging 109.9 points per 100 possessions. Although many teams outperform Missouri in this area, the Tigers are still eight points over the Divison 1 average. In terms of how they obtain most of their points, Missouri relies heavily on two-pointer and free-throws. The percentage of two-point shots they drain each game sits a 55.3%, almost 6% greater than the Division 1 average. They are also connecting on 72.7% of their free-throws. Not exactly an astounding percentage, but respectable nonetheless.

Missouri’s offensive struggles are similar to those of Tennessee’s. The Tigers are not a strong team from behind the arc. They are only connecting on 29% of their three-pointers, which will not cut it against high-scoring teams like Alabama. Unlike the Volunteers, Missouri has an established go-to guy offensively with two to three other significant contributors.  Xavier Pinson factors into 32.4% of the Tigers’ possessions, playing over 25 minutes and averaging 14.1 points per game. Both Dru Smith and Jeremiah Tillman serve as quality secondary options as well.

The Missouri Tigers are offensively efficient enough to survive, but their true strengths are demonstrated on defense. Opposing teams are averaging 91.8 points per 100 possessions, ranking the Tigers 22nd in that category. Whether it is from inside or outside the three-point line, Missouri makes it incredibly challenging to obtain points.

They do not force a lot of turnovers. Instead, they force a lot of poor opportunities with tight defensive play. Even though opponents tend to hold onto the ball longer than the Tigers each possession, it is more because they are trying to find ways to expose the defense.

Predicting superior teams in the SEC is not an easy task. Outside of Alabama, every other team appears to be only as good as its most recent win or loss. Missouri has the potential to gain national favor as the year progresses, but they have just as good of a chance of losing it. Taking a look at the remaining schedule can provide us a peek into where they might sit at the end of the season.

According to Pomeroy’s model, the Missouri Tigers play four more Tier A games this season. Tier A games are against Top 50 opponents with some consideration given to the location. Of course, that plays a smaller factor this season. Tier B games are against teams in the Top 100 with the same consideration given with location. Missouri plays five of those.

Considering this team’s quality, there is no reason the Tigers cannot win all five of its Tier B contests. The Tier A games are a different story. Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Florida will all be tough contests that could go either way. Of course, the real measuring stick will be the game against the Crimson Tide on February 6th.

The SEC has been so unpredictable this season. Alabama should end up on top of the conference standings. However, after that, it is challenging to determine how the rest of the teams will fall. There is some slight hesitation placing them firmly above Tennessee because the Volunteers are better defensively. Still, the Tigers are right there with them and could very well finish as the second-best team in the conference.