The Missouri Tigers men's basketball team is on a roll. They are 22-2 overall and 9-2 in the Big 12 Conference. Missouri is tied for first with Kansas atop the conference with a game against the Baylor Bears looming Feb. 11. A win for Mizzou would make the Big 12 a two-team race. A larger implication at this point in the 2011-2012 season is what kind of seed the Tigers will get in the NCAA Tournament.
What would it take for the Tigers to get one of the four top seeds in the NCAA Tournament this year?
Winning Out
Winning out is a proposition fans always love to think about. That prospect may not be practical this year but for one thing. The Tigers travel to Lawrence, Kan., to play the Kansas Jayhawks Feb. 25. There is a strong possibility both teams will still be tied atop the standings when that game rolls around. Missouri hasn't won at Allen Fieldhouse since Jan. 24, 1999. The Tigers avenged a loss earlier in the season by going to Lawrence and winning over the 19th-ranked Jayhawks by a score of 71-63.
Finishing the year with just two losses would virtually guarantee the Tigers a top spot in the NCAA Tournament. Only Syracuse has a better record at 24-1 and they are cruising to the tournament's overall top seed at this point.
One More Loss
One more loss wouldn't be tragic for the Tigers, but it has to be against a particular team. Missouri can still lose to Kansas on that fateful Feb. 25 game in Allen Fieldhouse and make a one seed. The Tigers would have to win every other game and then defeat everyone they play in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Kansas City. Other teams such as Syracuse or Kentucky would also have to lose to help Missouri.
Conference Titles
Having a regular season and tournament title for the Big 12 can also have a huge impact on a top seed. Kansas has accomplished that feat with regularity over the past decade. Getting a one seed will hopefully pay huge dividends as Missouri looks for its first-ever Final Four appearance in NCAA Tournament history. Having a number one seed in any region will hopefully go a long way to making that Final Four happen.
William Browning is a lifelong Missouri resident originally from St. Louis. He attended the University of Missouri in the late 1980s and is a fan of all Mizzou Tigers sports. He currently resides in Branson.
There are no comments yet