Call me an optimist, but I’m still confident Missouri will march into the NCAA Tournament – and coach Cuonzo Martin’s team won’t need Michael Porter Jr., accomplish the feat.
Porter, for whatever reason, is keeping Mizzou fans on pins and needles with statements such as “My time is coming. “I just can’t rush it,” as he told the Post-Dispatch.
This is a personal, straight-out guess – Porter will be physically able to play by seasons end following November back surgery, will suit up for a handful of SEC games and go full blast in the SEC Tournament. The tourney just happens to be in St. Louis.
Missouri topped South Carolina last week to end an unbelievably long road losing streak, and battled Florida at home to the final 0.1 second before giving the game away and losing 77-75 last Saturday.
Mizzou can win the SEC Tournament with Porter Jr., which would give them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
More importantly, the Tigers can earn a tournament berth without him with a solid run over the next six weeks.
Bitten by the Gators
The between-the-legs dribble to set up a shot or pass is all the rage in college basketball, thanks to Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. It looks good when it works. It can be disastrous when it doesn’t.
Jordan Geist learned that painful lesson in the Florida loss. After demonstrating his dribbling skill in a 75-75 tie, he fired a pass in the direction of Kassius Robertson. It was intercepted by the Gators’ Chris Geist who calmly dribbled the length of the court and laid the ball in with a fraction of a second left in the game.
Ouch.
If the Tigers had followed up the South Carolina win with a Florida victory, the NCAA Tournament talk would have gone national. It didn’t happen, and now Mizzou better have found a way to beat Georgia on Tuesday night or its momentum will be stalled.
Key contests against SEC teams with NCAA Tournament hopes include games at Arkansas on Saturday; Tennessee at home, Jan. 17; at Texas A&M, Jan. 20, at home Feb. 13; Auburn at home, Jan. 24; at Alabama, Jan. 31; Kentucky at home, Feb. 3 and on road, Feb. 24.
The latest AP top 25 poll has Kentucky 21st, Auburn 22nd and Tennessee 24th.
Kentucky, playing without key starter Quade Green on Tuesday night, trailed throughout the second half, but rallied to beat Texas A&M 74-73 at home. Until they are beaten in the tournament, the Wildcats should be favored to garner the automatic bid.
While once in the Top 10, the Aggies’ loss to Kentucky dropped them to 0-4 in the SEC. Missouri, with all its ups and downs, was 1-1 in league play and 11-4 overall heading into the Georgia game.
Martin miffed at refs
Mizzou fans snapped out of their collective shock to pour boos upon the referees following the Florida game.
Freshman center Jeremiah Tilmon fouled out in less than 12 minutes of action – the same was true against South Carolina – and there was a dubious foul call when it appeared a Gator guard Jalen Hudson stuck his leg out to create contact on a late-game jumper.
Blaming the refs for a loss – or the loss of a player – is not a good look, but Martin couldn’t help himself.
“I guess I have to keep my mouth closed on a lot of (foul calls). I’ve never been one to say anything, but it was very, very tough for me. Very tough for me, if you know what I’m saying. It was probably the toughest I’ve ever been a part of.”
“We have to figure out a way to allow Jeremiah Tilmon to play basketball,” he added, “because some of those (fouls), just watching him, man, he’s a 19-year-old kid. He’s doing the things we’re asking him to do. I just hope he doesn’t get a reputation.”
I’m sorry, Cuonzo, but it seems like most of Tilmon’s fouls are fouls. If that gets you a “reputation” – so far it has been one that he deserves.
A day or so later, Martin had eased up – just a bit.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it: Officiating is a tough job, just like coaching. I think those guys do tremendous jobs, and I’m not just saying that to say it. It’s not an easy thing to do. But we have to take a tremendous amount of pride in doing our job … because every possession counts,” he said.
“We’ve got to make sure we get it right. We all make mistakes. But I think in critical situations, especially when it’s on the line – over the course of a game things can happen – but down the stretch we’ve got to make sure we get it right.
Mizzou good news
Jordan Barnett never hung his head during last season’s struggles under coach Kim Anderson and led the Tigers with 12.1 points per game.
With Porter’s injury and absence and Tilmon’s constant foul troubles, Barnett has not only held steady, he has improved his game.
Barnett is averaging 15.9 points a game and shooting a very respectable 43.3 percent on three-point attempts.
Anderson should be praised for landing the former Metro Player of the Year from CBC after he spent two seasons at Texas. He has flourished under Martin, scoring more than 17 points in his last six games.
Mizzou bad news
Freshman Blake Harris, who Martin convinced to come to Mizzou after leaving Washington along with Porter Jr., is gone and will transfer.
He told the Post-Dispatch, “It was the best decision for me and my family to leave this program.”
“I’m not going to say anything’s wrong with the program. I just think I can thrive and do better things at a different place.”
He said he first thought of transferring “since probably Thanksgiving.”
It’s not rare for a player to decide he’s had enough at midseason – but it’s usually not a guy or gal who has started the majority of their respective team’s games.
“We will support and assist him in any way possible,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said in a prepared statement.
My guess is that he caught the Porter Jr.-to-Columbia train without giving it enough thought.
The North Carolina native could certainly end up playing for the Tar Heels or Wolf Pack when he becomes eligible again.
Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, is a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and can also be heard on Frank Cusumano’s “The Press Box.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
