20. Missouri (15-3)
On opening night, Missouri lost to Memphis, but then ripped off ten straight wins. Anything the Tigers may or may not have done wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t hang in SEC play, even considering their upset win over Kansas back in December. After all, the Tigers lost every single conference game last season and frankly the SEC as a whole is even tougher this season.
Tuesday was when Missouri proved that they belonged; getting an incredible upset on the road by upended Florida 83-82 in Gainesville. Mark Mitchell had 14 points and 8 rebounds, steadying a balanced attack for the Tigers’ balanced and efficient offensive attack. Proving that their early success was no fluke, Missouri took care of business over the weekend, drilling Arkansas 83-65. Both Mitchell and Caleb Grill scored 17 points apiece while the Tigers knocked down nearly 48% of their 3-pointers in a great win at home.
Each and every week in the SEC is a battle. After a winless rip through the conference, Missouri’s only blemish through three weeks was on the road against an Auburn team that sits atop the national rankings. That performance at Florida showed that there’s something special brewing in Columbia this season, though we’re going to need see it again and again in the weeks ahead. Things don’t get any easier, as the Tigers head to Texas before a date with Ole Miss next weekend, with plenty more ranked games in the near future.