The Sports Bankโs college basketball season previews undergo a face lift this season. Rather than counting down the top 111 teams in 111 days, we will go conference-by-conference. ย I’ve already counted down theย Pac-12ย andย Big 12ย now we turn our attention to theย SEC.
Frank Haithโs sudden departure to Tulsa led to the Missouri Tigers hiring former player, Kim Anderson to lead the team. Mizzou loses their top three scorers though and figure to have a rough season.
MISSOURI TIGERS
Last Season: T-6th, 9-9 in SEC, 23-12 overall
Predicted SEC Finish: 13th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Ryan Rosburg (Jr)/Keanau Post (Sr)
PF: Jonathan Williams (So)/JaKeenan Gant (Fr)
SF: DโAngelo Allen (Fr)/Montaque Gill-Caesar (Fr)
SG: Deuce Bello (Jr)/Namon Wright (Fr)
PG: Wes Clark (So)/Tramaine Isabel (Fr)
Gone: G-Jordan Clarkson, SG-Jabari Brown, SF-Earnest Ross, PF-Tony Criswell, PG-Shane Rector (transfer-Miami-Dade CC), F-Stefan Jankovic (transfer-Hawaii), C-Zach Price (transfer-Winthrop), PF-Torren Jones (transfer-Midland College)
2014-2015 Outlook:
Missouri returns two starters in Ryan Rosburg and Jonathan Williams but nobody on their roster averaged more than six points per game last season. Rosburg is a big body inside but doesnโt bring much skill to the floor. Williams is a bouncy forward who makes his biggest impact on the glass. Keanau Post played sparingly a year ago but does give Mizzou another physical option down low while freshman JaKeenan Gant should be a factor right away.
After being the teamโs sixth man as a freshman, Wes Clark is now handed the keys to the offense as the starting point guard. He wasnโt asked to score much last season but needs to show more aggressiveness on the offensive end. Baylor transfer Deuce Bello looks to have a breakout season and two underwhelming years in Waco. Notre Dame transfer Cameron Biedscheid was supposed to add some scoring on the wing but he is no longer a part of the program.
Four freshmen will fight for playing time on the wing. DโAngelo Allen is a long, athletic small forward who is the favorite to start right away at the three. Montaque Gill-Caesar reclassified to join Mizzou a year early and should see significant minutes from the opening tip of the season while Namon Wright and Tramaine Isabel figure to see reserve roles.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/24 vs. Arizona (Maui Invitational)
11/25 vs. Kansas State/Purdue (Maui Invitational)
11/26 vs. San Diego State/BYU/Pitt/Chaminade (Maui Invitational)
12/5 at Oklahoma (SEC/Big 12 Challenge)
12/13 vs. Xavier
12/20 vs. Illinois
12/23 vs. Oklahoma State (in Kansas City)
OTHER SEC PREVIEWS:
BIG 12 PREVIEWS:
#1 KANSAS JAYHAWKS
#2 TEXAS LONGHORNS
PAC-12 PREVIEWS:
#1 ARIZONA WILDCATS
#4 UCLA BRUINS
David Kay is a senior featureย NBA Draft,ย NBA, andย college basketballย writer for the Sports Bank.ย He also heads up theย NBAย andย college basketballย material atย Walter Football.comย and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.ย David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu.ย He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and theย most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draftย on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.)ย You can follow him on Twitter atย David_Kmiecik.
