 |
| Mizzou head coach Frank Haith orchestrated his Tigers to a Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship, but will that be enough for the Tigers to garner a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament? - Photo courtesy of Getty Images |
The University of Missouri men's basketball team entered Saturday night's Big 12 Tournament Championship game knowing it would be the last time they would play a Big 12 conference basketball game.
The Tigers also knew that if they had any hopes of obtaining a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, they had to beat a big, athletic, and talented Baylor Bears team for the third time this season. Thanks to 19 points from senior Kim English, who took home the tournament's most valuable player award, the Tigers won the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship in their final season as a member of the conference with a 90-75 win over Baylor.
Next season Mizzou will be heading to the SEC, but head coach Frank Haith's club may be heading towards a number one seed next week in the NCAA Tournament.
Mizzou deserves a number one seed as much as anyone and here are six reasons why the Tigers should snatch a number one seed on Selection Sunday.
1. Only Syracuse (31) and Kentucky (32) have more wins than Mizzou's 30 wins this season. Only two teams have won more times this season than Mizzou, so why should four teams get a higher seed than the Tigers?
2. Mizzou has a 4-1 record against Kansas and Baylor, who both are in the RPI Top 10. Mizzou's four wins against RPI Top 10 teams is more than any team in the country. Kansas has three wins versus RPI Top 10 teams while no other team in the country has more than two.
3. Mizzou has an 11-3 record against the RPI Top 50. Their three losses came against Kansas (RPI 6) and Kansas State (RPI 50), who they lost too twice. Michigan State is just 10-5 against the RPI Top 50 while Kansas is 11-5 and Ohio State is just 9-5
4. Mizzou has been ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll since the fifth week of the season, showing that they have been consistently a top team in the country all season. Kansas did not enter the Top 10 until eleventh week while Michigan State exited the Top 10 as recently as week 14.
5. Mizzou finished second during the Big 12 regular season and won the conference tournament. The Big 12 has the fourth highest conference RPI.
6. Mizzou won their conference tournament, while other potential number one seeds such as Syracuse, Kansas, and Duke did not.
It is unclear whether Mizzou will actually get a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994, but it is easy to see that their resume is as good as any in the country.
It will not be a surprise to see Mizzou as a two seed when the brackets are revealed on Sunday night, but it is clear to see that Haith's Tigers certainly deserve plenty of consideration for a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Mizzou's resume speaks for itself.
Shop Under Armour ColdBlack Heat Reflecting Apparel + Free Shipping on $75 With Code
Comments
Post a Comment