Where Mizzou Places in Bracketology, KenPom in Late January
The Missouri Tigers look poised to make a return to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons under head coach Dennis Gates.
After a win over No. 5 Florida, Missouri made its first appearance in the AP Poll of the season, being ranked No. 22 on Jan. 20. On Monday, Missouri moved up to No. 22 following a win over the then-No.16- ranked Ole Miss Rebels.
The quality home win over the Rebels continued Missouri's ascent up in the latest edition of ESPN Bracketology with Joe Lunardi.
Lunardi has Missouri ranked as the No. 24 team in the nation, three spots up from last week. He projects the Tigers to be the No. 6 seed in the Southern region of the Tournament.
Missouri has the week off, so the Tigers won't have any say in the movement in Lunardi's next projections, which are published every Tuesday and Friday.
However, a trip to Mississippi State on Saturday presents another opportunity for a statement win for the Tigers.
Lunardi's Southern Region:
• 1-seed Auburn vs. 16-seed Moorehead State
• 8-seed Creighton vs. 9-seed Baylor
• 5-seed Wisconsin vs. 12-seed McNeese
• 4-seed Texas A&M vs. 13-seed Arkansas State
• 6-seed Missouri vs. 11-seed New Mexico
• 3-seed Houston vs. 14-seed Cleveland State
• 7-seed Clemson vs. 10-seed Georgia
• 2-seed Purdue vs. 15-seed Southern
Missouri again didn't crack the top 25 of KenPom, however. The Tigers' loss against Texas to begin the week anchored Missouri down, causing them to fall three spots compared to last week. Here's a list of the top-30 paired with each team's offensive and defensive ranks among all of college basketball.
KenPom
- Auburn, 18-1, O-Rating: 1st, D-Rating: 11th
- Houston, 16-3, O-Rating: 10th, D-Rating: 2nd
- Duke, 18-2, O-Rating: 7th, D-Rating: 3rd
- Florida, 18-2, O-Rating: 2nd, D-Rating: 15th
- Iowa State, 17-3, O-Rating: 12th, D-Rating: 6th
- Tennessee, 17-3, O-Rating: 34th, D-Rating: 1st
- Kansas, 14-5, O-Rating: 31st, D-Rating: 4th
- Purdue, 16-5, O-Rating: 6th, D-Rating: 22nd
- Alabama, 17-3, O-Rating: 3rd, D-Rating: 43rd
- Illinois, 14-6, O-Rating: 24th, D-Rating: 12th
- Texas Tech, 15-4, O-Rating: 11th, D-Rating: 29th
- Marquette, 17-3, O-Rating: 26th, D-Rating: 13th
- Gonzaga, 15-6, O-Rating: 5th, D-Rating: 57th
- Arizona, 14-6, O-Rating: 15th, D-Rating: 23rd
- Wisconsin, 16-4, O-Rating: 8th, D-Rating: 49th
- Texas A&M, 15-5, O-Rating: 39th, D-Rating 8th
- Michigan State, 17-2, O-Rating: 21st, D-Rating: 17th
- St. John's, 17-3, O-Rating: 57th, D-Rating: 5th
- Michigan, 15-5, O-Rating: 16th, D-Rating: 30th
- Maryland, 16-5, O-Rating: 19th, D-Rating: 24th
- Ole Miss, 15-5, O-Rating: 44th, D-Rating: 10th
- Kentucky, 14-5, O-Rating: 4th, D-Rating: 81st
- Mississippi State, 16-4, O-Rating: 18th, D-Rating: 35th
- Saint Mary's, 18-3, O-Rating: 30th, D-Rating: 28th
- Louisville, 15-5, O-Rating: 22nd, D-Rating: 47th
- Baylor 13-6, O-Rating: 14th, D-Rating: 62nd
- Clemson 17-4, O-Rating: 27th, D-Rating: 44th
- Ohio State 12-8, O-Rating: 42nd, D-Rating: 26th
- Oregon 16-4. O-Rating: 32nd, D-Rating: 42nd
- Missouri 16-4, O-Rating: 23rd, D-Rating: 55th
Read more Missouri Tigers news:
3 Takeaways from Mizzou's Home Victory Over Ole Miss
Experienced Duo's 'A-Plus Performances' Were Driving Force in Mizzou Victory