Mizzou Tigers a 4 seed in NCAA men’s basketball committee’s tournament projection
The Missouri men’s basketball team has plenty of work to do before the NCAA Tournament. But MU coach Cuonzo Martin’s Tigers are in a strong spot and have a near-lock on an at-large bid.
The NCAA selection committee unveiled its midseason top 16 seeds Saturday, a preview of Selection Sunday.
The Tigers came in as a No. 4 seed and the 16th team to make it into the midseason projection. They would be in the same region as No. 1 seed Michigan, No. 2 Houston and No. 3 West Virginia.
Of course, there’s still plenty of work left for the Tigers, who are 13-4 and 6-4 in the SEC. Mizzou boasts victories over two No. 2 seeds, Illinois and Alabama. It’s also 1-1 against No. 3-seeded Tennessee.
The Tigers have some of the best wins in the nation, but some of the stats lag behind their national perception and No. 10 overall ranking in the AP Top 25 poll. The NCAA Evaluation Tool, or NET, has Mizzou ranked No. 35.
Part of that is because, yes, the Tigers have some great wins, slotting in at 5-3 in Quadrant 1 games. The quadrants are how the selection committee decides the quality of a win based on location, opponent and other factors.
But the Tigers also boast some brutal losses, including some lopsided ones. The second-half collapses against Mississippi State and Ole Miss hurt the resume.
Mizzou has plenty of chances to pick up more stellar wins while rounding out its resume. The Tigers host Arkansas at 3 p.m. Saturday in Mizzou Arena for the annual Rally For Rhyan game.