14. Missouri Tigers
It’s now been four years since Dennis Gates was hired by Missouri and overall his tenure has been acceptable. In three of those seasons he’s won 20 games and led the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament, though his second season remains this bizarre outlier of struggle. This team has depended on transfers for that success in recent years and certainly needed to dig deep after losing a number of names both to the portal and graduation.
What really stands out in this transfer class is the pair of freshman forwards who are going to get significant roles next season. Jamier Jones was outstanding as a freshman for Providence, averaging nearly 12 points a game for the Friars and showcasing his potential. A similar story can be spun about Bryson Tiller, who shockingly lands in Columbia by way of rival Kansas and should also assume a major role on this team. Former Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey can’t be ignored in the frontcourt either after his showing in recent years and is a great veteran piece.
The biggest name added to the backcourt is Kennard Davis, who was an effective starter for BYU last season and is hoping to build on his success there. In addition to these power conference names, Missouri gets a pair of solid scorers in Jordan Crawford from South Dakota and Cord Stansberry out of Western Carolina, with both of them averaging at least 14 points per game last year.
Missouri moves forward with six pretty talented additions and it’s easy to get excited seeing all of this talent on paper. It’s all about how everything fits together and Gates knows that this program wants more than just another one and done trip to the Big Dance. It’s hard to look at this team and convince yourself they’re a top-tier SEC squad, but Missouri has the pieces to contend and a lot comes down to how it all comes together down the line.
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